Blog

News

Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, and read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters. For media inquiries, please email us.

The Effects of Voter ID Notification on Voter Turnout in the United States

Morris Levy
Researchers evaluated the effect of sending various postcards describing relevant voter ID requirements to different voters in Tennessee and Virginia.

Evaluating The Child Development Grant Program (CGDP) in Nigeria

In Northern Nigeria, researchers are testing the effect of providing mothers with unconditional cash transfers, coupled with varying levels of information and guidance on nutrition, to encourage parents to use funds for their children’s nutrition and food security.

Conducting a Social Marketing Campaign to Increase the Uptake of Mental Health Care by Ukrainian Refugees in Germany

Alexandra Avdeenko
Andreas Ette
Yagan Hazard
Alexander Moldavski
Artur Obminski
Nicolas Ruesch
Katharina Spiess
Researchers evaluated the impact of a social media messaging campaign on mental health help-seeking behavior among Ukrainian refugees in Germany. Social media was an effective means to reach refugees with mental health needs, and videos featuring a relatable patient led to more hotline calls than...

Reducing Parent-School Information Gaps and Improving Education Outcomes: Evidence from High-Frequency Text Messages

Samuel Berlinski
Mattias Busso
Claudia Martinez
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of regular informational text messages to parents on children’s academic performance. The intervention improved math grades and attendance, although it did not impact negative classroom behavior on average. These effects were generally...

The Economic, Health, and Psychological Effects of Health Insurance and Unconditional Cash Transfers in Kenya

Justin Abraham
Matthieu Chemin
Chaning Jang
Researchers evaluated the effects of a free health insurance policy and UCTs of the same value on the economic, health, and psychological outcomes of informal workers in Kenya. Participants who received health insurance self-reported reduced stress and had lower cortisol levels; UCTs led to fewer...

Direct and Indirect Effects of Malawi’s Public Works Program on Food Security

Kathleen Beegle
Emanuela Galasso
Researchers worked with the Malawi Social Action Fund to conduct a randomized evaluation of the program’s effect on food security. They found no evidence that the program improved food security, and there were some indications that the program decreased the food security of non-beneficiaries living...