Generating Rigorous Evidence for Europe

One key focus of our research in Europe is identifying more effective measures to foster social inclusion. Randomised evaluations by researchers in the J-PAL network have examined the impact of interventions as diverse as data-driven reception programmes seeking to help migrants integrate into host communities in the Netherlands, a perspective-taking curriculum aiming to foster inclusivity and reduce peer violence in ethnically diverse classrooms in Turkey, measures to encourage jobseekers to attend a meeting with social services to bolster their uptake of social benefits in France, and an academic tutoring and career counselling programme designed to reduce educational inequalities between native-born and immigrant children in Italy. J-PAL Europe makes funding available to foster new research focused on promoting social inclusion in Europe through our European Social Inclusion Initiative.

A large share of the research work done by the J-PAL network in Europe has focused on interventions in academic settings. J-PAL affiliated researchers have generated evidence on several aspects of the education sector in Europe, including the impact of encouraging parental engagement, of providing targeted tutoring, or of helping students develop their socio-emotional skills on students' outcomes. Many of these studies have focused on students at-risk of or experiencing social exclusion. Other examples of our work in education include: the impact of a civic education programme on student behaviour and academic performance in Greece, Spain and France; the effect of providing information and incentives about kindergarten on participation rates in Bulgaria; and the impact of providing feedback on university student performance in Spain. In addition to this research, J-PAL Europe supports the development of infrastructure for experimental research in education, most notably through the Innovation, Data and Experiments in Education programme, a consortium created in partnership with the French Ministry of Education.

J-PAL affiliated researchers are conducting rigorous research to identify lessons and inform policy responses to some of the most pressing challenges faced by European jobseekers, workers, and firms. This research has included rigorous evaluations of programmes aiming to help jobseekers (re)enter the labour force, foster skills in entrepreneurship among youth, increase demand for labour among firms, reduce discrimination in hiring, and analyse the relative effectiveness of measures such as private or algorithm-based provision of public employment services. J-PAL Europe supports researchers with the generation of labour market evidence and policymakers with the use of existing evidence to inform labour market policies.

In recent years, our office has spearheaded new initiatives to generate rigorous evidence on effectiveness in humanitarian action, an area where there has been relatively less rigorous impact evaluation in the past. Building on efforts to generate rigorous evidence on how best to address peacebuilding and conflict reduction measures, our research network is now developing models for rigorous impact evaluation that can help us answer important questions in complex operational settings. One pillar of our initial work in this area is the Humanitarian Protection Initiative, which fosters research and learning on pivotal protection concerns in conflict settings. Another related area where we are building new research is on the impacts of livelihoods programmes for displaced populations and host communities, focused on generating robust livelihood solutions for displaced people globally.

J-PAL affiliated researchers are conducting rigorous research to ensure that policymakers are able to design and implement evidence-based policies to address challenges in the context of environment, energy, and climate change topics. J-PAL Europe focuses on such topics in connection with poverty and social exclusion, supporting research on energy precarity, labour market programmes addressing workers affected by fossil fuel phase-out, and more effective information provision to shift individual consumption habits, for example in the context of negative health effects of indoor wood heating. We support researchers with the generation of evidence and policymakers with the use of existing evidence to inform environment, energy, and climate change policies and climate action, and fund new research in this space through the King Climate Action Initiative.

Research led by the J-PAL network has generated comprehensive insights into advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls, and examines how gender-related norms impact the outcomes of social programmes. This research has explored the impact of improving soft skills to reduce gender gaps among school children, providing cash transfers to increase women’s decision-making power, promoting gender equality in hiring, and enhancing women's representation and opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, among other areas of research.

The Innovation, Data and Experiments in Education (IDEE) programme is an eight-year (2021–2029) partnership with the French Ministry of National Education’s Direction de l'Évaluation, de la Prospective et de la Performance (DEPP) focused on developing the infrastructure for experimental research on education in France and promoting the use of evidence in this field. IDEE’s activities include:

1. improving access to administrative data;
2. developing and sharing innovative tools and protocols for experimental research; and
3. building partnerships with policymakers and practitioners, while strengthening their capacities to support evidence generation and use. 

The IDEE consortium brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers and labs from economics, sociology, psychology, educational sciences, and cognitive sciences, coordinated by the Ecole Normale Supérieure/PSL and led by J-PAL Europe at the Paris School of Economics. To date, the programme has supported a range of rigorous evaluation projects aiming to address key challenges faced by the French education system. Current priorities include addressing educational inequalities, improving learning outcomes and non-cognitive skills, integrating technology effectively, and managing diverse students' needs. 

The Inclusion Policy Lab was launched by the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, CEMFI andJ-PAL Europe in 2021, following the introduction of a national minimum income scheme. The Lab brings together a group of leading researchers, policymakers and third-sector institutions to rigorously evaluate the impact of pilot social inclusion programmes on reducing poverty. Evaluations completed in a first wave between 2022–24 have looked at issues such as the impact of in-person and online tutoring, the importance of personalised, intensive support for jobseekers, and measures to increase the take-up of social benefits.