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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.

Building Resilient Health Systems: Community Monitoring and Nonfinancial Awards During Sierra Leone's 2014 Ebola Outbreak

Researchers partnered with the Government of Sierra Leone to evaluate the impact of community monitoring and nonfinancial awards programs on health care utilization and health outcomes. Both programs improved clinic utilization, patient satisfaction, and symptom reporting during the 2014 Ebola...

The Effect of Higher Credit Card Interest Rates on Borrowers’ Demand and Debt in the UK

Gyöngyi Lóránth
Borrowers categorized as subprime, or financially risky, are generally seen as heavily reliant on debt and, consequently, as vulnerable to interest rate increases. Researchers studied the effects of a credit card interest rate increase among low-income subprime borrowers in the UK to assess its...

Motivating Bureaucrats through Performance Recognition in Nigeria

Varun Gauri
Nina Mazar
Karima Salem
Researchers introduced a performance recognition system for employees to improve record keeping in clinics in Ekiti and Niger, Nigeria. They found that the performance recognition improved record keeping in Ekiti but not in Niger. Researchers suggested that important institutional, managerial and...

Replacing an inefficient policy of free agricultural electricity in India

In partnership with the Government of Punjab, researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation of the Direct Benefit Transfers for Electricity program that creates a monetary incentive for farmers who are able to reduce consumption below a specified electricity allocation.

Cash and Microenterprise Support for the Ultra-Poor in Uganda

In partnership with the Association of Volunteers in International Service, researchers evaluated the impact of the Women’s Income Generating Support (WINGS) program, an initiative which provided low-income Ugandan individuals, mainly women, with financial grants, business skills training, and...