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News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly email updates.

A Black Principal Investigator sitting at a table speaking with a Black older man

Bridging gaps in health care: The impact of investigator diversity on clinical trials

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J-PAL affiliated researcher Marcella Alsan and coauthors Romaine Campbell, Lukas Leister, and Ayotomiwa Ojo share insights from their research on how investigator racial diversity affects clinical trial participation by Black respondents.
A woodchipper with 'Fire District 3' written on it working on by a road.

Building research partnerships to address wildfire risk in Jackson County, Oregon

Deputy Director of the Western Fire Chiefs Association Chief Bob Horton and researchers Judson Boomhower (UC San Diego) and Patrick Baylis (University of British Columbia) discuss their research partnership to evaluate a program encouraging households to take up wildfire prevention practices.
Vincent standing next to a presentation screen showing LAHE Network organizations

The LA Homelessness Evaluation Network: Lessons learned from supporting organizations build evidence and evaluation capacity

In this post, J-PAL North America shares lessons learned from homeless service providers who have been participating in our Los Angeles Homelessness Evaluation Network.
Mother and child smiling

Centering parents and parenting in randomized evaluations of cash transfers to families

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The Baby’s First Years evaluation is a J-PAL-supported study evaluating the impact of poverty alleviation on child development and families. Two researchers involved in Baby’s First Years discuss the importance of centering parents and their experiences to better understand the impact cash payments...
Three people looking at a computer screen

Regression to the mean: What it is and why it matters for impact evaluations

Regression to the mean is a statistical phenomenon where extreme outcomes tend to be followed by more moderate outcomes—closer to the mean. In the field of social policy, this could mean that individuals selected to participate in a program because of an extreme signal will naturally return back...
Family of three happily playing together

Evidence shows that intergenerational poverty requires multifaceted solutions

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently issued a report on the drivers of and solutions to intergenerational poverty in the United States. J-PAL North America staff had a conversation with J-PAL affiliated professor Greg Duncan (UC Irvine), chair of the authoring...
Photo of San Diego Town Hall

LEVER Partner Spotlight: Ricardo Basurto-Dávila on the County of San Diego’s Shallow Rent Subsidy program evaluation

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Ricardo Basurto-Dávila, the Chief Evaluation Officer in the County of San Diego’s Office of Evaluation, Performance and Analytics, shares his experience participating in the LEVER Evaluation Incubator.
Four people talking over a table

Researching racial equity: Building capacity for research and practice

Noreen Giga, Racial Equity Project Lead, and Damon Jones, J-PAL affiliated professor (University of Chicago) and Scientific Advisor for J-PAL North America’s Racial Equity Project, reflect on J-PAL North America’s work to advance rigorous research on racial equity to date and discuss priorities for...