June 2020 Newsletter
Standing in solidarity with Black communities
We at J-PAL North America grieve and condemn the ongoing displays of police violence and systemic racism in the United States and acknowledge the physical and emotional distress they cause. This grief and trauma is especially deep for Black communities, and for our staff, partners, and affiliated researchers who belong to them. Recent events—from the murder of George Floyd and countless other Black individuals by the state, to the deployment of race as a tool of intimidation by Amy Cooper in Central Park—are manifestations of the same anti-Black, racist social structures that have led to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affecting communities of color.
As a research center within the field of economics, we intend to do our part to continue the work of self examination, change, and movement building to combat the decades of institutionalized racism with which our field is only now beginning to come to terms.
J-PAL launches Jobs and Opportunity Initiative
J-PAL’s new Jobs and Opportunity Initiative (JOI) works to identify strategies to address some of the most pressing labor market challenges in low- and middle-income countries. With support from Google.org, JOI funds randomized evaluations focused on three key thematic areas: job training and matching, job creation, and the future of jobs. Since its launch, JOI has focused on responses to COVID-19’s disruption of jobs and livelihoods, funding eight projects across three continents. Read more »
Featured Publication
Biometric tracking to improve health care services for tuberculosis
Limited monitoring capacity, data quality, and internet connectivity can make it challenging to control the spread of tuberculosis, the leading infectious disease killer in the world. In India, J-PAL affiliated professor Vincent Pons (Harvard Business School) and co-authors tested the impact of electronic biometric tracking technology on tuberculosis patient health outcomes, provider performance, and accuracy of patient data. The technology increased the likelihood that patients adhered to treatment, improved provider performance, and reduced misreporting of patient data by providers. Read more »
Featured Policy Insight
Improving child development with play
Early childhood, from the ages of 0 to 5, is a critical period for long-term development. A review of 17 randomized evaluations shows that encouraging caregivers to play and interact with children in a stimulating way improves children’s cognitive development. However, open questions remain on how to effectively deliver these programs at scale. Read more »
Featured Multimedia
Video: Unpacking the evidence on motivating lifelong lifestyle changes
J-PAL affiliated professor Rebecca Dizon-Ross (University of Chicago) unpacks the evidence from a randomized evaluation of a program that aims to motivate lifelong lifestyle changes among those with diabetes or pre-diabetes in Tamil Nadu, India. Watch now »
Affiliate spotlight
Elise Huillery on students’ motivation to learn
Elise Huillery (Paris Dauphine University) believes education is the key to overcoming entrenched poverty. For her, the question is not only whether a person has access to education, but also what drives students to value and pursue education. Read more »
Upcoming Courses & Trainings
Open enrollment: MicroMasters summer semester
The next semester of our online MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP) began on June 2, but enrollment is open until July 1. Through a series of five online courses and in-person exams, learners will engage with cutting-edge field research and gain a strong foundation in microeconomics, development economics, and probability and statistics.
Students who complete the full DEDP credential are eligible to apply for the Master’s program in DEDP at MIT. Learn more and register »
Enroll now in J-PAL 101x: Evaluating Social Programs
Enroll in J-PAL’s online Evaluating Social Programs course before August 14. This is a free, self-paced course to learn how to use randomized evaluations to rigorously measure the impact of social programs. Through lectures from renowned MIT faculty and J‑PAL affiliated professors, along with case studies from real randomized evaluations, participants will cover topics ranging from how to effectively measure outcomes and choose an appropriate sample size to common threats to analysis. Learn more »
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Averting a crisis in preventive healthcare (Opinion)
Asian Venture Philanthropy Network
Lessons from Sierra Leone’s Ebola pandemic on the impact of school closures on girls (Opinion)
The Conversation
Nobel Prize winner Esther Duflo probes effectiveness of virus warnings
The Telegraph
Opportunities, challenges, and strategies for evidence production and use in the COVID era: 3ie’s expert panel weighs in
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
NEW RESEARCH PAPERS
How Vocational Education Made Women Better Off but Left Men Behind
Paloma Acevedo, Guillermo Cruces, Paul Gertler, Sebastian Martinez
Losing Prosociality in the Quest for Talent? Sorting, Selection, and Productivity in the Delivery of Public Services
Nava Ashraf, Oriana Bandiera, Edward Davenport, Scott S. Lee
Interlinked Transactions and Competition: Experimental Evidence from Cocoa Markets
Lorenzo Casaburi, Tristan Reed
Saving for Multiple Financial Needs: Evidence from Lockboxes and Mobile Money in Malawi
Shilpa Aggarwal, Valentina Brailovskaya, Jonathan Robinson