🗞️In this edition of J-PAL News, we reflect on the strides made in 2024 and look ahead to 2025. We also share a new website for ADEPT, the global learning alliance, and a new piece in Stanford Social Innovation Review on unlocking the potential of AI for social good.
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Research
Cambridge, MA 91,779 followers
Reducing poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.
About us
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) was established in 2003 as a research center at the Economics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, it has grown into a global network of researchers who conduct randomized evaluations to test and improve the effectiveness of programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty. Our mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. We do this through research, policy outreach, and training across seven regional offices worldwide.
- Website
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http://www.povertyactionlab.org
External link for Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
- Industry
- Research
- Company size
- 201-500 employees
- Headquarters
- Cambridge, MA
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2003
- Specialties
- Randomized Evaluations, Capacity Building, Policy Outreach, and Research
Locations
Employees at Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Updates
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Our team is growing 📈! We are #recruiting a Senior AI Policy Associate to join our Policy and Communications team based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA. The position will start in March 2025, so apply today! The AI Policy Team at J-PAL plays a key role in translating AI related research by J-PAL affiliates into actionable poverty alleviation policies around the world. Staff connect the dots between economics, AI, and policy and are passionate about working with organizations to inform development policy. Please note that MIT does not sponsor visas for these positions. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States for a minimum of two years (limited exceptions are detailed in job description). Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. These positions offer competitive compensation and benefits packages. Interested? Read more and apply here: https://bit.ly/4jvoQVm
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Our 2024-25 edition of Improving Lives through Evidence is here! See how rigorous research and strong partnerships shaped our work around the globe in 2024, and read about our priorities for 2025: https://lnkd.in/dPmCijCm
2024 | Improving Lives through Evidence
povertyactionlab.org
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Bias in AI is a challenge, but not inevitable. With proper engineering & evaluation, AI can reduce inequalities—like leveling the hiring field or increasing access to healthcare. Hear J-PAL’s take on #AIforSocialGood in Stanford Social Innovation Review: https://lnkd.in/d-JwB8Ez
AI for Social Good (SSIR)
ssir.org
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🌱 Exciting news in sustainable agriculture! J-PAL affiliate, Professor Tavneet Suri is part of a research team awarded the 2025 J-WAFS Grand Challenge Grant. The team of scientists, engineers, and economists will explore the potential of microbes to replace synthetic agrochemicals, starting with soil samples from farms in the U.S. and Kenya. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eCczt7jH
J-WAFS is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2025 J-WAFS Water and Food Grand Challenge Grant! The J-WAFS Grand Challenge grant supports large, interdisciplinary projects that aim to solve the world’s pressing problems in water and/or food for human need. This year’s project, led by Professor Christopher Voigt of MIT Department of Biological Engineering, aims to genetically engineer more robust strains of microbes in the hopes of replacing harmful synthetic agrochemicals used in agriculture. Voigt will lead a team of collaborators from both MIT and Kenyatta University in Kenya to analyze nitrogen production of microbial communities in soil derived from farms in both the U.S. and Kenya. The team of MIT researchers includes MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor David Des Marais, Associate Professor Tami Lieberman (MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES)), and Assistant Professor Darcy McRose, as well as MIT Sloan School of Management Professor of Applied Economics and co-chair of the Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative at Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Tavneet Suri, and MIT EECS Assistant Professor Sixian You. “As the world population grows, farming practices that are both more productive and more sustainable are needed to ensure we can feed the planet without harming the environment. This promising research aims to accomplish that goal.” – J-WAFS Executive Director Renee Robins ’83. After a rigorous, multi-stage proposal process and intensive review, Voigt’s team was awarded $1.5 million in grant funding to carry out this work over the next three years. Read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/eCczt7jH
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Join an upcoming VoxDev webinar on Tuesday, January 28. J-PAL affiliate Luc Behaghel, co-chair of our Humanitarian Protection Initiative, with Jeannie Annan, Tarek Ghani, and Jonas Heirman, share insights on: ✔️ Lessons learned from fragile contexts ✔️ Internal learning through impact evaluations ✔️ Barriers to evidence adoption Register: https://lnkd.in/dQU8F2Am
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📊 Want to make a difference with evidence-based policy? Designed by J-PAL and MIT and taught by esteemed Economics faculty including Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, Sara Fisher Ellison, and Benjamin Olken, the DEDP MicroMasters program equips you with the tools to design randomized evaluations. Dive into economics, data analysis, and more. Enroll today: https://bit.ly/42cNDHM
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🌍🌎🌏 The 2024 edition of Improving Lives Through Evidence is coming soon! Featuring inspiring stories, dynamic collaborations, and impactful achievements from across the globe, this year’s annual update offers insights into our work and our priorities for 2025. Stay tuned! https://bit.ly/4hnD3BV
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New blog: J-PAL Southeast Asia research team share insights from using a recently established tool to measure child development: the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED), developed by the World Health Organization. The blog draws on a study by J-PAL invited researchers, Peter Rockers and Gumilang Aryo Sahadewo, alongside coauthors Günther Fink, Milda Irhamni, and Doug Parkerson, which explores he impact of home-based growth charts and is among the first in Indonesia to use GSED. Read more about the lessons from using this tool: https://lnkd.in/gCMVKAth
Four lessons from using a growth measurement tool for early childhood development in Indonesia
povertyactionlab.org
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📢 J-PAL’s research resources for randomized evaluations are now available in French! Our free and accessible research resources can support you in designing and implementing randomized impact evaluations. These resources are based on collaborations with experts in the field and draw on practical, real-world insights. Who are these resources for? Researchers working on randomized evaluation, Teams or trainers teaching rigorous evaluation methods, and Anyone interested in learning more about randomized evaluation methodology! This translation is intended to help those interested about learning this methodology in French and for those designing, implementing, and communicating about randomized impact evaluations in Francophone contexts. Follow the link to check out our research resources in French: https://urlz.fr/sOk5
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