The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,100 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,100 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.
Our affiliated professors are based at over 130 universities and conduct randomized evaluations around the world to design, evaluate, and improve programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty. They set their own research agendas, raise funds to support their evaluations, and work with J-PAL staff on research, policy outreach, and training.
Our Board of Directors, which is composed of J-PAL affiliated professors and senior management, provides overall strategic guidance to J-PAL, our sector programs, and regional offices.
We host events around the world and online to share results and policy lessons from randomized evaluations, to build new partnerships between researchers and practitioners, and to train organizations on how to design and conduct randomized evaluations, and use evidence from impact evaluations.
Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters, and connect with us for media inquiries.
Based at leading universities around the world, our experts are economists who use randomized evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. Connect with us for all media inquiries and we'll help you find the right person to shed insight on your story.
J-PAL is based at MIT in Cambridge, MA and has seven regional offices at leading universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
J-PAL is based at MIT in Cambridge, MA and has seven regional offices at leading universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Our global office is based at the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It serves as the head office for our network of seven independent regional offices.
Led by affiliated professors, J-PAL sectors guide our research and policy work by conducting literature reviews; by managing research initiatives that promote the rigorous evaluation of innovative interventions by affiliates; and by summarizing findings and lessons from randomized evaluations and producing cost-effectiveness analyses to help inform relevant policy debates.
Led by affiliated professors, J-PAL sectors guide our research and policy work by conducting literature reviews; by managing research initiatives that promote the rigorous evaluation of innovative interventions by affiliates; and by summarizing findings and lessons from randomized evaluations and producing cost-effectiveness analyses to help inform relevant policy debates.
How do policies affecting private sector firms impact productivity gaps between higher-income and lower-income countries? How do firms’ own policies impact economic growth and worker welfare?
How can we identify effective policies and programs in low- and middle-income countries that provide financial assistance to low-income families, insuring against shocks and breaking poverty traps?
Saurabh Bhajibhakare is an Associate Director of Research at J-PAL South Asia where he provides technical oversight on research and ethical integrity, data quality, and security. He also leads the internal capacity building program for research staff at J-PAL South Asia.
Emily Owens is the Deans' Professor of Criminology and Economics in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. Her research centers on economies of crime, including policing, sentencing, and the effects of public policies on criminal behavior. Her...
As budgets for agricultural programs tighten, there is growing demand for solid evidence on what works, who benefits, and in what circumstances. Programs often focus on helping farmers access seeds, fertilizers, markets, or loans, but it’s not always clear which approaches work best. Building...
Discover how the Egypt Impact Lab equips policymakers, researchers, and practitioners with the tools to use evidence in decision-making through tailored training programs across four thematic tracks, drawing on J-PAL’s global expertise.
Alessandro Tarozzi is an Associate Professor (on leave) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and a Professor at the European University Institute (EUI). His current research centers on factors that limit access and uptake of health-protecting technologies in developing countries. His work, which is mostly...
Alicia Sasser Modestino is an Associate Professor with appointments in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the Department of Economics at Northeastern University, where she also serves as the Research Director of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy. Her current research...
J-PAL North America, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, catalyzes randomized evaluations, builds partnerships for evidence-informed policymaking, and helps partners scale up effective programs in the North America region
Evidence shows that police reform—providing gender sensitization training to officers and introducing dedicated help desks for women at police stations—can shift police attitudes, making them more responsive to women’s security needs.