November 2019 Newsletter - Nobel Edition
On October 14, J-PAL co-founders and Directors Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, jointly with longtime J-PAL affiliated professor Michael Kremer, were awarded the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.”
When Abhijit and Esther co-founded J-PAL in 2003 with another longtime affiliate, Sendhil Mullainathan, applying an experimental approach to anti-poverty research was in itself an experiment. Marking this momentous event, we pause from our regular updates to share a special edition of our monthly newsletter that celebrates our shared journey and what this award has meant for the Laureates, their academic colleagues, and J-PAL staff, alumni, and partners.
Celebrating the Nobel Prize
In two recent blog posts, J-PAL Executive Director Iqbal Dhaliwal reflects on the Laureates’ contributions and the evolution of J-PAL from a research center to a thought partner for governments, NGOs, and policymakers.
“What Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have seeded is more than just a methodology.... The brilliance of Abhijit and Esther was in recognizing that this new research that they and a generation of colleagues were producing would not by itself be sufficient to reach policymakers; more would need to be done to actually make a difference in the lives of millions,” Iqbal writes. Read more »
Michael Kremer was one of J-PAL's six inaugural affiliates in 2003. Iqbal notes, “[Michael's support] was invaluable in helping us understand better the scale-up puzzle that J‑PAL was just beginning to take on systematically, and build credibility for our newly launched policy group in those early days.... My first experience of Michael’s incredible intellect, humility, generosity and helpfulness would repeat itself many times over the next decade.” Read more »
AFFILIATE VOICES
Oriana Bandiera (LSE) writes on VoxDev, “Among the many field managers, surveyors and research assistants who greeted the prize announcement with great enthusiasm, there will be some who will see an option they did not know of. Many will have the talent and some will have the inclination and the opportunity to take it. My guess and hope is that before too long, a column like this will be discussing their research.” Read more »
Dan Keniston (LSU) writes, “I am thrilled and tremendously proud of my collaborators and advisors professors Banerjee and Duflo.... The movement that they have launched has already transformed many fields of economics but, more importantly, has the potential to save thousands of lives in developing countries.” Read more »
Karthik Muralidharan (UC San Diego) writes, “It is a rare and joyous moment when three of your most influential advisers and mentors win a Nobel Prize together—and today is that day!” Read more »
Ben Olken (MIT) said,"The approach has been tremendously influential in reshaping the field of development economics." Read more »
Simone Schaner (USC) said, “It has been such a privilege to learn from them—first as a PhD student and now as a member of the profession. Their unfailing commitment to their students is remarkable, especially in light of the massive contributions they have made in other areas.... I am so very proud of them, and so happy to be a small part of the community that they have built.”
STAFF AND ALUMNI VOICES
Mary Ann Bates, Executive Director, J-PAL North America, writes, “Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer have an incredible number of accomplishments between the three of them, and I count this community that they’ve built to be among the most impressive. This prize has doubled as a well-deserved celebration of a coalition of NGO staff, research assistants, policymakers and partners worldwide.” Read more »
Iqbal Dhaliwal, Executive Director, J-PAL Global, says, Abhijit and Esther are the rare founders who hit the incredible balance of providing a challenging and creative vision for the organization’s growth, while giving huge freedom to staff to innovate. A lot of us joined J-PAL because we were inspired by them, and it is an honor to work alongside them every day to seek out the most promising approaches to ending global poverty. Read more »
Ashleigh Morrell, Associate Director of Policy, J-PAL Africa, explains how the Nobel laureates and their colleagues worked with Pratham, an Indian NGO, to bring a novel approach of tailored instruction to more than ten countries working to address the learning crisis in Africa. “Years earlier, Banerjee and Duflo, co-founders of J‑PAL, together with Pratham, planted the seed that led to the buzzing classroom filled with engaged and empowered children I witnessed.” Read more »
Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director, J-PAL South Asia, reflects on her tenure at J-PAL and what it has been like working with Abhijit and Esther as they generated a movement. She writes, “They have led the charge to mainstream the application of a rigorous and scientific lab methodology—the randomized evaluation—outside of the laboratory, amidst the complexities of the real world, in order to derive precise measures of the impact of poverty alleviation programmes.” Read more »
Kamal Singh Jhala, Project Associate, J-PAL South Asia, said, “I had the privilege of meeting Abhijit during my first project (MIT Health Project) in Udaipur.... I have always been proud of my work but now I am prouder than ever of working and knowing such esteemed economists who have brought a revolution in the field of development economics.”
LAUREATES' PERSPECTIVES
Abhijit, Esther, and Michael shared their thoughts on the state of economics, pressing policy issues, and the field of development in recent op-eds and interviews.
If we’re serious about changing the world, we need a better kind of economics to do it
The Guardian
Economic incentives don’t always do what we want them to
The New York Times
A Conversation with Economics Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer
Center for Global Development
We really can change voters’ minds. Take it from these Nobel Prize-winning economists
Boston Globe Magazine
Esther Duflo on winning the Nobel, poverty, and the macho "locker room" culture of economics
The Telegraph
LAUREATES’ RESEARCH
Together, Abhijit, Esther, and Michael have published more than three hundred journal articles and working papers in partnership with countless coauthors, graduate students, research teams, implementing NGOs, government partners, and J-PAL staff.
David Evans, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, compiled Quick Guides to the 100+ Research Articles by the Economics Nobel Winners:
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
An interview with the Nobel prize-winning economists
The Economist
Nobel economics prize goes to pioneers in reducing poverty
The New York Times
Nobel economics prize winner: I want to inspire women
BBC News
To continue celebrating with us, follow J-PAL Executive Director Iqbal Dhaliwal @iqbaldhali as he live tweets from the Nobel ceremony on December 10.
JOIN OUR TEAM
J-PAL’s global recruitment drive launched on November 18. Opportunities are available in research, policy, communications, training, and finance and operations across J-PAL’s seven offices and many IPA country offices. The drive closes January 10. Explore a full list of open positions around the world »