J-PAL

J-PAL
Name	J-PAL
Founded	2003
Founder	Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, Sendhil Mullainathan
Headquarters	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Parent	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Focus	Randomized evaluations, policy research, poverty alleviation

J-PAL The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (known by its acronym) is a global research center that designs and conducts randomized evaluations to inform public policy on poverty and development. Founded by prominent scholars, the organization connects academic researchers with practitioners from institutions such as World Bank, United Nations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Center for Global Development and Oxfam to test interventions in sectors linked to welfare and service delivery. J-PAL's work spans continents and policy arenas, involving collaborations with governments like India, Kenya, Brazil, Philippines, Mexico and multilateral actors including International Monetary Fund and African Development Bank.

History

J-PAL emerged in 2003 from the collaboration of scholars at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and subsequent partnerships with researchers at Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University and Princeton University. Early evaluations leveraged connections with development agencies such as United States Agency for International Development and Department for International Development (UK), producing influential trials in locations including Bangladesh, Nepal, Ghana and South Africa. Over time, alliances with institutions like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Wellcome Trust supported scale-up and replication. The founders and senior affiliates have received recognition from bodies including the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, John Bates Clark Medal, MacArthur Fellowship and Princess of Asturias Awards.

Mission and Activities

J-PAL's stated mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy and practice are informed by scientific evidence. Activities include designing randomized controlled trials in partnership with actors such as Ministry of Education (India), Ministry of Health (Kenya), National Treasury of South Africa, Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development and Brazilian Ministry of Health. The organization conducts capacity-building programs with academic institutions like London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago and Columbia University, and runs training for practitioners from UNICEF, Save the Children, PLAN International and International Rescue Committee. J-PAL also curates evidence through policy briefs used by legislators in assemblies such as the U.S. Congress and parliaments of United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Research and Methods

J-PAL specializes in randomized evaluations, drawing on methods developed in coordination with scholars from Harvard Kennedy School, Yale School of Management, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and University of Pennsylvania. Research topics include health interventions tested in trials inspired by work from Michael Kremer and others, education experiments informed by studies from Angus Deaton and Lant Pritchett, microfinance evaluations reminiscent of projects associated with Muhammad Yunus, and labor market trials echoing research by David Card and Alan Krueger. Methodological innovations involve power calculations, cluster randomization, stepped-wedge designs and pre-analysis plans articulated in the literature of Joshua Angrist, Guido Imbens and Donald Rubin. J-PAL emphasizes replication and meta-analysis, referencing compendia like those from Cochrane Collaboration and systematic reviews used by World Health Organization.

Global Network and Affiliates

J-PAL operates a global network of regional offices and affiliated professors across universities such as MIT, Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Nairobi, University of Cape Town, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Indian Statistical Institute. Regional offices collaborate with local partners including BRAC, Aga Khan Foundation, CARE International, Hospitals and municipal authorities in cities like Mumbai, Nairobi, Lima, São Paulo and Dhaka. Affiliates include economists and social scientists who have published in journals like American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Political Economy and Review of Economic Studies, and who have presented findings at venues including World Economic Forum, International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings and Population Association of America.

Impact and Notable Evaluations

J-PAL's evaluations have influenced policy decisions such as conditional cash transfer programs modeled after Bolsa Família and expansion of deworming initiatives following trials in Kenya and Tanzania. Other notable studies informed the design of teacher incentive schemes resembling programs in Mexico and Chile, and public health campaigns paralleling interventions advocated by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. High-profile randomized trials addressed topics related to microcredit in contexts akin to Bangladesh and Morocco, sanitation projects similar to initiatives in Indonesia and Pakistan, and agricultural extension comparable to programs in Ethiopia and Uganda. Findings have been cited by policymakers at World Bank Group presidents, finance ministers, and leaders at United Nations Development Programme.

Funding and Governance

Funding for J-PAL comes from philanthropic donors including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network, Ford Foundation, and government research grants from agencies like National Science Foundation and Economic and Social Research Council. Governance involves oversight by a board composed of academics and practitioners with ties to institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, International Rescue Committee and Center for Global Development. Leadership structures coordinate with university administrations and partner organizations including Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives and philanthropic entities linked to families such as Al Saud and Family of Abdul Latif Jameel.

Category:Research institutes