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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.

Preserving Peace in Rural Liberia through Alternative Dispute Resolution Trainings

Robert Blair
Alexandra Hartman
In Liberia, researchers examined the short and long-term impacts of introducing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) trainings on the rate at which community members resolved property disputes and the incidence of violence related to those disputes. In the long-run, dispute resolutions became less...

Improving Literacy Through Cognitive Science: Evidence from the United Arab Emirates

Arabic-speaking countries perform poorly on international reading assessments. Evidence from cognitive science suggests that several features of Arabic make the language particularly difficult for beginning readers. In partnership with the Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research (AQF), researchers...

The Impact of Malaria Testing and Treatment on Sugarcane Cutter Earnings in Nigeria

Oladele Akogun
Jed Friedman
Ashesh Prasann
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of malaria testing and treatment on sugarcane-cutter’s earnings, days worked, productivity, and task selection in rural Nigeria. Cane-cutters earned more two and three weeks after being offered testing and treatment. Those who tested...

Leveraging the Parents and Children Together (PACT) Program for Increased Parental Engagement in the United States

Sebastian Gallegos
Researchers evaluated the impact of providing small behavioral tools, including a goal-setting website, text message reminders, and social rewards, to parents to encourage their participation in the Parents And Children Together (PACT) program. These behavioral tools more than doubled parents’...

Leveraging Technology to Incentivize Student Effort in India

Sarojini Hirshleifer
Using a technology-based math curriculum, researchers evaluated the impact of different incentive types—rewarding continuous effort in the classroom versus rewarding test performance—on student learning. Results indicate that effort-based incentives can be a more effective and cost-effective way of...

Comparing Cash and Mobile Transfers in Niger

Rachid Boumnijel
Amanda McClelland
Niall Tierney
In partnership with Concern Worldwide, researchers examined the relative effectiveness of traditional versus mobile cash transfers in Niger. Households who received electronic transfers had more diverse diets than those who received traditional cash transfers, in part due to time savings and shifts...

The Impact of Information on Selective and Less-Selective Schools in Chile

Mattias Busso
Claudia Martinez
Dario Romero
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of providing information to students on enrollment at different quality schools. Students who were provided information applied to and enrolled in different types of schools. However, overall a greater number of students did not enroll...