2024

City Youth Development (City of Los Angeles)

Researchers:
  • Darnell Cole
  • Ramon Covarrubias
  • Ting Han-Chang
  • Daniel Millan
  • Christopher Newman
Location:
City of Los Angeles, California
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The City of Los Angeles Youth Development Department (YDD) is committed to advancing evidence-based youth development, which includes mentorship, career readiness, and financial empowerment. LA YDD is partnering with researchers at the University of Southern...

Mobile MOUD Services (Pierce County, WA)

Researchers:
  • Trish Crocker
Location:
Pierce County, Washington
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Pierce County Human Services (PCHS) in the state of Washington seeks to address the unmet needs of individuals experiencing opioid use disorder in the county. PCHS is partnering with J-PAL North America to evaluate its mobile medications for opioid use...

Fentanyl Detox Evaluation (Pierce County, WA)

Researchers:
  • Trish Crocker
Location:
Pierce County, Washington
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Pierce County Human Services (PCHS) in the state of Washington plans to evaluate the impact of extending a patient’s stay at a fentanyl detox center from five to ten days. Before receiving inpatient treatment, it is recommended for patients to undergo fentanyl...

Crisis Intervention Team (Fort Wayne, IN)

Researchers:
  • Kevin Hunter
Location:
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Fort Wayne Police Department in the state of Indiana will work with J-PAL North America to design an evaluation on the impact of the Police Department’s Hope and Recovery Team on connecting people with severe mental health issues to treatment. Testing the...

Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics (San Diego, CA)

Researchers:
Location:
San Diego, CA
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The County of San Diego Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics (OEPA) and the Office of Planning & Development Services (PDS) are partnering with J-PAL invited researchers, Gordon McCord and Teevrat Garg (UCSD), and J-PAL North America to explore...

Elevating Employment Success: Empowering Puerto Rico’s American Job Centers with Innovative Job Search Strategies

Location:
Puerto Rico
Type:
  • Full project
We propose an intervention to enhance the efficacy of American Job Centers (AJCs) by focusing on elevating the quality of case management and job search services. Prior work facilitated by a SLII grant has identified this strategy as the most promising...

2023

Paratransit same-day services (King County Metro Transit)

Location:
King County, Washington
Type:
  • Technical assistance
King County Metro (WA) meets the public transportation needs of residents with disabilities through its Access program. Unlike people who can use fixed-route transit and are afforded flexibility to take the next bus or train that works for them, Access users’...

Impact of eviction prevention services (Pierce County)

Researchers:
  • John Barbee
Location:
Pierce County, Washington
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Pierce County Human Services is partnering with J-PAL North America to design an evaluation of its Eviction Prevention program as part of its efforts to increase housing stability and prevent homelessness in Pierce County. Participants will be provided...

Procedural Justice Training (Anaheim Police Department)

Researchers:
Location:
Anaheim, California
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Anaheim Police Department (APD) serves the city of Anaheim (CA). Its mission is to maintain a safe community for residents to live, work and play by proactively impacting crime, striving to be a high-performing organization, and enhancing community...

Wildfire Risk and Self-Protective Investment

Researchers:
  • Patrick Baylis
  • Judson Boomhower
Location:
Jackson County, Oregon
Type:
  • Pilot project
Like other climate-related catastrophes, the occurrence of severe wildfires is growing throughout North America. This escalating risk can be mitigated through efforts by property owners to manage vegetation and other flammable material near homes. Despite the...

2022

The Last Meter

Researchers:
Location:
New Jersey
Type:
  • Full project
U.S. drinking water systems have used lead service lines for centuries, but federal and some state laws ban them or require their replacement due to their now well-known detrimental health effects. Many public water systems are struggling to locate and replace...

Means-Tested Public Transportation Subsidies

Researchers:
  • Seth Chizeck
  • Oluchi Mbonu
Location:
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Type:
  • Full project
This project will examine how means-tested transportation subsidies affect individuals’ geospatial mobility patterns, transportation mode substitution, labor market outcomes, and other socioeconomic outcomes of interest such as health care utilization and...

Enhancing socio-emotional skills through the school system

Researchers:
  • Raissa Fabregas
  • Diana Moreira
  • Orlando Sotomayor
  • Román Andres Zárate
Location:
Puerto Rico
Type:
  • Full project
There is increasing evidence that children's social and emotional health and associated skills and mindsets are strongly related to better education and labor market outcomes in adulthood (Deming 2017, Jackson et al., 2020). Given this evidence, supporting...

MI Pathways Pilot

Researchers:
  • Alexander Wickman Bartik
  • Brad Hershbein
  • Kevin Stange
  • Bryan Stuart
Location:
Michigan
Type:
  • Pilot project
Many states have implemented tuition assistance programs to help adults earn credentials that will improve their economic prospects. However, those seeking better employment opportunities also need help identifying the training pathways that lead to their...

2021

Jackson County Fire District 3

Researchers:
  • Bob Horton
Location:
Oregon
Type:
  • Technical assistance
In 2020, Oregon’s Jackson County was struck by its worst wildfire in history. The fire destroyed over 2,500 homes, most of which belonged to low-income residents. In alignment with state measures to more aggressively mitigate wildfire risk among especially...

Workforce Development Program, Department of Economic Development and Commerce

Researchers:
  • Jenny Mar Cañón Feliciano
Location:
Puerto Rico
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Puerto Rico's Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DEDC) Workforce Development Program is focused on better aligning employment services to local needs through their Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programming. DEDC is partnering with J...

New Mexico Public Education Department

Researchers:
  • Marangellie Trujillo
Location:
New Mexico
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Students at risk of frequent school transfers in the New Mexico Public Education system have lower attendance rates, lower school achievement and delayed literacy skills, and higher dropout rates. The New Mexico Department of Public Education (NM PED) is...

Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services

Researchers:
  • Andrew Chrismer
Location:
Ohio
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Franklin County, Ohio faces an eviction rate exceeding that of both the state and national average. Since 1997, families experiencing rental instability in Franklin County have been able to apply for emergency rental assistance through the Franklin County...

Colorado Department of Higher Education

Researchers:
  • Michael Vente
Location:
Colorado
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Colorado Department of Higher Education is partnering with J-PAL North America to look at the impact of an online tool on users’ postsecondary and workforce success. My Colorado Journey (MCJ) is a statewide online platform that assists Coloradans of any...

Increasing landlord participation in the housing choice voucher program

Researchers:
  • Jessica Lasky-Fink
  • Elizabeth Linos
Type:
  • Pilot project
Federal rental assistance programs are one of the largest and most effective anti-poverty programs in the US, lifting over three million people out of poverty every year. The largest rental assistance program, the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, has been...

Covid-19 Vaccine Take-Up in a County-Run Medicaid Managed Care Population

Researchers:
  • Tom Chang, Mireille Jacobson, Manisha Shah, Rajiv Pramanik, and Samir B. Shah
Type:
  • Full project
Estimates of willingness to get vaccinated for Covid-19 range from about 50% to 60% and are low even for some groups facing high risk of Covid-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality. These rates are concerning given that models of herd immunity require...

2020

Randomized Control Trial to Evaluate the Effect of Security Deposit Assistance

Researchers:
  • Lee Adams
  • Ron Collinson
  • Evan Mast
  • David Phillips
Location:
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Type:
  • Pilot project
Our project will evaluate whether mitigating risk for landlords can improve housing stability and access to high-opportunity neighborhoods for people with low incomes and poor credit, a criminal record, or a recent eviction. To do so, we will use a randomized...

Lotteries of Temporary Housing Assistance during the Covid-19 Epidemic

Researchers:
  • Rob Collinson
  • David Phillips
Type:
  • Full project
This evaluation will examine lotteries of rental assistance in King County, WA (Seattle) for low-income households affected by the Covid-induced economic crisis. King County will offer to pay 3 months of back rent to landlords of lottery winners. This study...

2019

Nudging Providers to Curtail Dangerous Opioid Prescribing

Researchers:
Location:
Minnesota
Type:
  • Full project
Despite an enormous policy response, opioid prescribing remains well above historical levels and harms from opioids continue to mount. Nearly all states have Prescription Monitoring Programs (PMPs) to facilitate safer prescribing of opioids and other drugs...

City of Los Angeles

Researchers:
  • Brendan Bailey
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Mayor’s Innovation Team (i-team) works with L.A. City departments to closely examine complex challenges and discover innovative solutions that can improve the quality of life in Los Angeles. The L.A. i-team will partner with J-PAL North America to design...

Montana Department of Labor and Industry

Researchers:
  •  Barbara Wagner
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Montana Department of Labor & Industry (MTDLI) is a government agency that promotes the well-being of Montana’s workers, employers, and citizens. MTDLI will partner with J-PAL North America to evaluate the effectiveness of Reemployment Services and...

Addressing Implicit Bias in Higher Education

Researchers:
Location:
Virginia
Type:
  • Pilot project
This study will evaluate the effects of faculty's implicit bias training on closing academic disparities by race and gender in higher education. Faculty, who play central roles in students' academics and careers, are well-positioned to address gaps in students...

Minnesota State Court Administrator's Office

Researchers:
  • Karen Mareck
Location:
Minnesota
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Minnesota State Court Administrator’s Office is working with Minnesota Management and Budget and J-PAL North America to test the impact of different text message reminders on failures to appear (FTAs) in court among individuals with court dates for...

District of Columbia

Researchers:
  • David Yokum
Location:
Washington, DC
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The city of Washington, D.C. is partnering with J-PAL North America to to design, pilot and evaluate less-expensive transportation options for low-income residents. In D.C. and elsewhere, low-income households are the most likely to be burdened by the costs of...

Reducing Racial Disparities in Bail Decisions

Researchers:
Type:
  • Full project
Racial disparities exist at every stage of the U.S. criminal justice system and are particularly prominent in the setting of bail. In this project, we are collaborating with courts from around the country to test the effectiveness of an intervention that can...

Understanding the effects of text reminders on reducing SNAP churn

Researchers:
  • Susanna Loeb
Location:
Massachusetts
Type:
  • Full project
"Churning” is when eligible transitional benefit program participants fail to renew, temporarily dropping out of their program before reentering within four months. Churn is a widespread issue across transitional benefit programs, negatively impacting...

Pilot: Permanent Supportive Housing for Justice-Involved Frequent Utilizers

Researchers:
  • David Phillips
  • James Sullivan
Location:
Franklin County, OH
Type:
  • Pilot project
This project will examine the effect of receiving permanent supportive housing services on housing, health, labor market, and criminal justice outcomes for individuals who repeatedly interact with the criminal justice system. The FUSE (Frequent Users Systems...

Virginia Department of Social Services

Researchers:
  • Massey Whorley
Location:
Virginia
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) is developing a randomized evaluation to test the impact of texting Virginia residents who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on take-up rates of the EITC. The EITC is a federal tax credit...

California Department of State Hospitals

Researchers:
  • Darci Delgado
Location:
California
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) is partnering with J-PAL North America to develop an impact evaluation of the Pre-trial Felony Mental Health Diversion Program, an intervention targeting individuals with serious mental illness who are likely...

Minnesota Board of Pharmacy

Researchers:
  • Barbara Carter
Location:
Minnesota
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy is partnering with J-PAL North America to identify ways to increase the use of Minnesota’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) and measure the impact of that increased use on prescribers’ rate of controlled substance...

Shasta County Superior Court

Researchers:
  • Melissa Fowler-Bradley
Location:
Shasta County, CA
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Shasta County Superior Court is working with J-PAL North America to test strategies for reducing the likelihood that defendants awaiting court processing in the community fail to appear (FTA) for their arraignment. FTAs can be costly for both individuals...

Virginia Work Requirements Experiment

Researchers:
  • Colin Grey
  • Mary Beth Landrum
  • Timothy Layton
  • Adam Leive
  • Ben Sommers
Location:
Virginia
Type:
  • Full project
Work requirements are increasingly common in major public assistance programs, initially implemented in cash support (TANF) and food assistance (SNAP) programs, and starting in 2018 in Medicaid. Proponents of work requirements contend that these policies...

Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance

Researchers:
  • Susanna Loeb
Location:
Massachusetts
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is developing a randomized evaluation to test the effectiveness of a text messaging intervention at reducing churn in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP...

Youth Homelessness Prevention: A randomized controlled trial

Researchers:
  • David Phillips
  • James Sullivan
Location:
King County, WA
Type:
  • Full project
  • Technical assistance
This project will be the largest randomized control trial of homelessness prevention services to date and will compare two different approaches to homelessness prevention. We will use a lottery to measure the effectiveness of (1) a combined program of...

2018

Pilot: Creating Moves to Opportunity in the Twin Cities

Researchers:
  • Nathan Hendren
  • Christopher Palmer
Location:
Minneapolis
Type:
  • Pilot project
The goal of Creating Moves to Opportunity in the Twin Cities is to compare the effectiveness of using tenant-based Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers with mobility supports to using project-based vouchers to provide opportunities for low-income families with...

Quantifying the Impact of Jobs for America's Graduates

Researchers:
Location:
South Bend
Type:
  • Pilot project
What is the effect of completing the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) Multi-Year Dropout Prevention Program on low-income 11th to 12th graders’ academic and economic outcomes? The City of South Bend, in partnership with researchers from J-PAL and LEO, will...

Improving and Sustaining Management Practices in Public Schools: Evidence from Puerto Rico

Researchers:
Location:
Puerto Rico
Type:
  • Full project
Improvements in management practices have been credited with generating stunning productivity improvement in the private sector. Although their adoption in the education sector has been slow, management-level interventions have been shown to lead to...

Increasing the Take-up of Cal Grant Awards Through Improved Notification Letter

Researchers:
  • Jesse Rothstein
Location:
California
Type:
  • Full project
Each year, over 150,000 California high school students receive letters notifying them that they qualify for Cal Grants, grant aid for college that is assigned based on family income and high school GPA. Less than two-thirds claim their awards. The California...

New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee

Researchers:
  • Charles Sallee
Location:
New Mexico
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee is partnering with J-PAL North America to evaluate the effectiveness of the state’s early college high schools. New Mexico high school graduates enroll in higher education above the national average but are more...

California Franchise Tax Board

Researchers:
  • Evan White
Location:
California
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The California Franchise Tax Board is interested in using randomized evaluations to identify effective strategies for lifting low-income Californians out of poverty by encouraging eligible households to claim the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC)...

The Impact of Rapid Rehousing on Homelessness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Researchers:
  • David Phillips
  • James Sullivan
Location:
Santa Clara County, CA
Type:
  • Full project
  • Technical assistance
Santa Clara County’s Office for Supportive Housing (OSH) is introducing a Rapid Re-Housing program (RRH) for single adults in cooperation with HomeFirst, a local non-profit provider. To measure the program’s success and make decisions about scaling the program...

2017

Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing

Researchers:
  • Ky Le
Type:
  • Technical assistance
The Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing proposed to evaluate its rapid rehousing program, focusing on single adults without children. The County’s rapid rehousing program aims to quickly move homeless individuals into permanent housing by providing...

King County, WA

Researchers:
  • June Lee
Type:
  • Technical assistance
King County proposed two potential evaluations, one focusing on homelessness prevention and one focusing on diversion and rehabilitation of low-level offenders. King County’s Youth and Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative (YFHPI) provides flexible funding...

Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Human Services

Researchers:
  • Jonathan Morancy
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Baltimore proposed a randomized evaluation of housing interventions for unaccompanied homeless youth, ages 18 to 24. The Homelessness Services Program in the Mayor’s Office of Human Services currently implements transitional housing and permanent supportive...

An Experimental Evaluation of Philadelphia WorkReady

Researchers:
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Type:
  • Full project
Sara Heller (University of Pennsylvania), the City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office, and the Philadelphia Youth Network are conducting a randomized evaluation to evaluate the impact of WorkReady, a summer jobs program for disadvantaged youth. Recent evidence...

2016

City of Philadelphia

Researchers:
Type:
  • Technical assistance
WorkReady Philadelphia is a cross-sector, city-wide initiative dedicated to improving the economic outcomes of the region’s youth by attracting, aligning, and investing resources in coordinated, youth-workforce-development strategies. The WorkReady summer...

Pennsylvania Governor's Office of Policy and Planning

Researchers:
  • Meg Snead
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Pennsylvania uses a Recovery-Oriented System of Care, which integrates substance use disorder treatment services into a single, seamless continuum of care. The continuum of care in Pennsylvania includes 10 distinct types of service distributed across five...

Puerto Rico

Researchers:
Type:
  • Technical assistance
Puerto Rico’s Administration for Socioeconomic Development of the Family (ADSEF), together with San Juan-based NGO Espacios Abiertos and a team of researchers, is designing a pilot program that would encourage labor force participation among Temporary...

Impact Evaluation of Bridges to Success

Researchers:
Location:
Rochester, NY
Type:
  • Technical assistance
More than 43 million people in the United States live in poverty. Poverty is particularly pervasive in the city of Rochester, NY where rates are more than twice the national average. The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), in partnership with the...

Leveraging the Random Assignment of Medicaid Managed Care Plans to Study Plan Choices, Treatment Effects, and Cream Skimming

Researchers:
Location:
South Carolina
Type:
  • Technical assistance
In South Carolina, the Medicaid program is administered through Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), which offer different health care plans to Medicaid beneficiaries. These plans differ in their generosity, network coverage, and other attributes, and they are...

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