Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

“You could think of the cricket pitch as a microcosm of caste issues in India,” says Matt Lowe (bottom, second from right), a PhD candidate leading a study in India to see if the popular game of cricket can help bridge caste divides.

When castes collide

PhD student Matt Lowe uses cricket tournaments to explore caste interactions in rural India and whether the popular sport can help bridge class divides.

July 20, 2017

A new study engaged preschool children in math games intended to help them grasp concepts of number and geometry, and in social games intended to help them cooperate and learn together.

Study: Preschoolers learn from math games — to a point

Games found to improve conceptual math skills, but gains may not carry over to primary school.

July 6, 2017

Baltimore, Maryland, is one of three local governments selected to work with J-PAL North America to evaluate solutions to homelessness, recidivism, and other policy challenges.

J-PAL North America partners with local governments to tackle homelessness and reduce incarceration

Selected cities and counties will receive funding and technical support from J-PAL to test innovative strategies in the fight against poverty.

June 30, 2017

“One of the most frequent questions that we get at J-PAL is a version of, ‘So a program worked in one place. Is it likely to work in my context?’” says Mary Ann Bates, the deputy executive director of J-PAL North America.

How J-PAL thinks globally and acts locally

Can an antipoverty program work in different settings? A new report presents a user’s guide to a tough issue.

June 28, 2017

Stopping the revolving prison door

J-PAL North America tests innovative strategies to reduce recidivism and help inmates transition back to society.

May 10, 2017

Top row, left to right: Stephen Bell, Sangeeta Bhatia, and Christopher Cummins. Bottom row, left to right: Esther Duflo, Klavs Jensen, and Nergis Mavalvala.

National Academy of Sciences elects six MIT professors for 2017

Bell, Bhatia, Cummins, Duflo, Jensen, and Mavalvala honored for research achievements.

May 3, 2017

"Technology is not a silver bullet, but education is," said Karen Cator, CEO of Digital Promise.

Experts gather at MIT to explore new research in education technology

Researchers, policymakers, and education company leaders discuss innovative technologies to improve education for disadvantaged learners.

April 28, 2017

MIT alumni and faculty have a long history of public policy service. Kathleen Hicks PhD ’10 (left) is director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Samuel Rodarte Jr. ’13 is a legislative aide for U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano.

Shaping public policy in the nation's capital

Alumni continue an enduring tradition of MIT service.

April 12, 2017

J-PAL North America aims to make rigorous evaluation of key questions in social policy easier for researchers with a new catalog.

Cheaper, faster randomized evaluations

J-PAL North America releases new catalog of administrative data sets to give researchers a leg up in conducting rigorous evaluations of social programs.

February 17, 2017

Christian Soura, director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, speaks at MIT.

Government leaders gather at MIT to advance evidence-based policymaking

State and local policymakers joined with leading researchers to share experiences overcoming challenges to evaluating government programs.

February 9, 2017

Researchers are testing behavioral science strategies to nudge high-risk individuals away from crime.

Testing strategies for preventing violence and crime

J-PAL North America funds randomized studies to evaluate crime-prevention programs.

January 31, 2017

MIT Alumni Elaine Chew (left), Noam Angrist (top right), and Huma Yusuf (bottom right)

MIT in London

The city offers an ideal home for MIT alumni whose work spans disciplines and continents.

January 12, 2017

J-PAL North America Executive Director Quentin Palfrey

Experts gather at MIT to urge more innovation in health care delivery

Two-day conference explores opportunities for research, innovation, and evidence-informed policymaking to address a range of national health care challenges.

December 7, 2016

“Policymakers, NGO activists, and businesspeople in developing countries are increasingly aware of the importance of good data and rigorous evidence for designing and choosing policies and projects — and implementing them effectively,” says Esther Duflo, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics.

MIT announces MITx MicroMasters program in development economics, with path to full master’s degree

Institute to offer its first “blended-only” master’s program, in data, economics, and development policy.

December 5, 2016

Seeking to inform India’s climate policy choices

Tata Center graduate fellow Arun Singh shares energy-economic modeling research at UN Climate Change Conference.

November 16, 2016

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