Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. It is a global research center dedicated to using scientific evidence to inform policy and reduce poverty. Founded in 2003, it pioneered the widespread application of randomized evaluations to assess the effectiveness of social programs. Its work spans numerous countries and policy domains, aiming to translate rigorous research into practical action for the world's poor.

History and founding

The organization was established in 2003 by economists Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, and Sendhil Mullainathan at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its creation was inspired by a growing movement within Development economics to apply more rigorous, experimental methods to understand what works in fighting Poverty. The initial funding and namesake support came from Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, a prominent Saudi philanthropist and businessman. The early work was heavily influenced by the research philosophy of Michael Kremer, whose field experiments in Kenya provided a foundational model. The launch coincided with a broader shift in institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations towards evidence-based policy, allowing it to quickly gain influence within the International development community.

Mission and approach

The core mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Its central methodological approach is the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials, often in partnership with governments, NGOs, and private firms. This involves comparing outcomes between a group that receives an intervention and a control group that does not, across fields like Education, Health care, and Agriculture. The organization emphasizes the importance of context-specific research, conducting studies in diverse locations from India and Indonesia to Peru and Ghana. A key part of its philosophy is the dissemination of findings to policymakers through events, training programs, and direct engagement with entities like the Government of India and the United States Agency for International Development.

Key research areas and findings

Research is organized into several thematic sectors, with significant contributions in each. In Education, influential studies have tested the impact of supplemental tutoring, teacher incentives, and school management reforms, with many evaluations conducted in partnership with the Pratham organization in India. Health care research has examined strategies to increase Vaccination rates, improve Antenatal care, and reduce the spread of Malaria. In Finance, work has evaluated the effects of Microcredit, savings products, and Insurance schemes for low-income households. Other major areas include Agriculture, studying the adoption of new technologies; Governance, analyzing anti-corruption measures and police reform; and Social protection, assessing cash transfer programs like Progressa in Mexico. These studies have often challenged conventional wisdom, showing, for instance, that simply providing more resources like textbooks does not always improve learning outcomes.

Organizational structure and leadership

The global headquarters remains at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology within the Department of Economics. It is led by its co-founders, Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, who shared the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. The organization operates a network of regional offices and affiliated professors at universities worldwide, including Paris School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Cape Town. Key leadership figures have included Rachel Glennerster and Dean Karlan. Its work is supported by a consortium of funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and various national governments.

Impact and recognition

The organization has profoundly shaped the field of Development economics and the practice of International development. Its emphasis on randomized evaluations has been adopted by major institutions including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development. The awarding of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences to its leaders cemented its academic prestige and global influence. Its research has directly informed specific policies, such as the scale-up of Teaching at the Right Level programs across India and several African nations, and reforms to Conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America. It also trains thousands of researchers and policymakers through its executive education courses, further propagating its evidence-based approach to tackling poverty worldwide.

Category:Research institutes Category:Poverty organizations Category:Organizations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts