January 2025 J-PAL LAC newsletter: Deepening the connections between J-PAL and the IDB
Celebrating a new strategic collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank
Marking a significant step in an ongoing partnership to promote evidence-based solutions for the region's pressing challenges, in October 2024, J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) officially launched a new Visiting Researcher Program. Researchers from the J-PAL network participating in the program are embedded in IDB units throughout the LAC region, fostering collaboration to address issues like climate change, health care, and citizen security.
This program builds on years of joint efforts, including IDB’s support for J-PAL LAC’s Jobs and Opportunities Initiative Brazil, and reflects a shared commitment to integrating rigorous research into policy. The first cycle already features leading scholars from the J-PAL network such as Pablo Celhay (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) for elderly care; Guillermo Cruces (University of Nottingham) for government enforcement, Maria Micaela Sviatschi (Princeton University) for justice, Jeanne Lafortune (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Co-Scientific Director, J-PAL LAC) and José Tessada (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) for energy and climate change; and Thomas Fujiwara (Princeton University) for just transition, with plans to expand in the coming years.
The two organizations are also exchanging insights from rigorous evidence on how the Amazonian region can be leveraged to help decision-makers navigate complex questions, such as payments for ecosystem services, protecting vulnerable populations, and ensuring that there are economic opportunities that reinforce resilience.
Helping strengthen Peruvian environmental enforcement
Since 2023, J-PAL has collaborated with Innovation for Poverty Action and Peru’s Agency for Environmental Enforcement (OEFA) as part of our work supporting governments in generating and applying evidence at scale. In September, we provided in-person training on impact evaluation for key environmental staff to launch a second window to identify promising innovations and design rapidly actionable innovation projects to evaluate. These projects, which were presented by different OEFA units in an event in November, include digital tools for environmental monitoring, using behavioral nudges to encourage compliance among businesses, and targeted information campaigns for supervised entities. The next step is to evaluate some of these innovations and take effective innovations to scale. We also wish to continue institutionalizing evidence use and generation through a policy lab.
Equipping practitioners and government agencies to use evidence in decision-making
2024 brought great achievements in terms of training and education. The J-PAL/UC Diploma in Impact Evaluation gathered 35 practitioners from ten countries. The diverse cohort graduated in January 2025 and got the necessary tools to design and understand the results of rigorous program evaluations. Besides the Diploma, during the year, we hosted twenty trainings, of which five were incubation courses for potential impact evaluations of real programs. In partnership with CLEAR LAC (of which we are part of) we participated in incubators targeted to the Ministry of Social Development of Guatemala and Coneval in Mexico. We hope to expand the reach of our training for public servants and practitioners to more countries in the region this year.
J-PAL LAC presence in key research event
In December, J-PAL Co-Founder Esther Duflo (MIT; Director, J-PAL; Scientific Director, J-PAL South Asia) participated in the 46° Brazilian Econometric Society Meeting, that congregates professors, researchers, master’s or doctoral students, and other professionals interested in studying and applying quantitative methods in economics and finance. She shared her experience and research on how using games in preschools can transform students’ math learning and socio-emotional development. Watch her presentation here.
EVIDENCE IN LAC
Can critical thinking reduce vulnerability to misinformation?
A study published in PNAS Nexus by John List (University of Chicago; J-PAL Affiliated Professor), Lina M. Ramirez (University of Chicago), Julia Seither (Universidad del Rosario), Jaime Unda (Ethos Behavioral Team), and Beatriz H. Vallejo (Ethos Behavioral Team) explored whether interventions to enhance critical thinking can curb misinformation vulnerability. During Colombia’s 2022 presidential election, they tested the effects of providing individuals with personalized feedback on their biases through a personality test. They found that this had no impact on skepticism toward news. However, an additional de-biasing video intervention appeared to foster critical thinking, prompting participants to assess potential misinformation more carefully. These insights can contribute to the effectiveness of strategies in combating misinformation and strengthening media resilience. Read the study »
What happens when cash transfers go digital?
A study by Susan W. Parker (University of Maryland, J-PAL Affiliated Professor) and Fernanda Marquez-Padilla (Colegio de Mexico) examined the effects of transitioning from cash payments to account deposits in Mexico’s Prospera program, a pioneering conditional cash transfer initiative. They found that rural women who transitioned faced higher costs of collecting their payments, both in terms of time and money. Additionally, these women reported feeling less safe and were significantly less likely to receive their full transfer, potentially due to bank fees. This evidence highlights the need to address costs and safety concerns to ensure the effectiveness of digital payment systems. Read the study »
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Preparando uma nova geração de jovens para o mercado de trabalho.
Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil
Para Nobel de Economia Esther Duflo, pobreza é o problema mais urgente e Brasil encara o desafio com ambição.
Negocios OGlobo
Usar la evidencia en la educación.
El Mercurio de Chile