Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

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Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
OriginsMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Area served
Global
Key people
Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, Benjamin Olken, Iqbal Dhaliwal
Websitewww.povertyactionlab.org

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by

NGOs, donors, and others to generate new research, share knowledge, and scale up effective programs.[1]

History and mission

J-PAL was founded in 2003 as the "Poverty Action Lab" by professors Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Sendhil Mullainathan. J-PAL was established to support randomized evaluations measuring interventions against poverty on topics ranging from agriculture and health to governance and education. The Lab was renamed in honor of Sheikh Abdul Latif Jameel when his son, MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, supported it with three major endowments in 2005.[2] He further endowed its activities in 2009.[3]

A 2010

Nicolas Kristof, J-PAL has led a "revolution in evaluation";[5] its philosophy and methods are part of a larger trend towards "applying behavioral economics to global development."[1] In his review of Banerjee and Duflo's book Poor Economics, Bill Gates wrote: "To me, what's really great about J-PAL is that it's producing scientific evidence that can help make our anti-poverty efforts more effective."[6]

Activities

Although J-PAL was founded as a research center, its activities have expanded to encompass three areas: impact evaluations, policy outreach, and capacity building.

To date, a network of over 170 J-PAL affiliated professors has carried out more than 948 evaluations in 81 countries, and J-PAL has trained over 1,500 people in impact evaluation.

Deworm the World initiative, which has since reached over 20 million children. Another J-PAL researcher, Nava Ashraf, recently completed work on innovative channels to ease the load of overburdened health care workers in Zambia.[11] An evaluation in India by J-PAL Directors Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, and Rachel Glennerster, together with Dhruva Kothari, found that full immunization rates increased dramatically with the introduction of small incentives for parents, coupled with reliable services at convenient mobile clinics.[12]

As part of its capacity-building efforts, J-PAL offers courses to help implementers, policymakers, and researchers become better producers and users of evidence and equip learners worldwide with skills in data analysis and economics. Offerings include open enrollment courses, custom workshops, online courses, and trainings for research staff. J-PAL has created an online MicroMasters credential in cooperation with MITx and a Diploma in Impact Evaluation with Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.[13] In 2019, J-PAL launched the blended MIT Master's in Data, Economics, and Development Policy, combining online learning with residential education at MIT and intensive internships. The master's program will equip outstanding students with the skills they need to create evidence-based change in their communities.[14]

Structure

J-PAL's headquarters (Global office) is a center within the Economics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with regional offices in Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia that are hosted by a local university:

J-PAL is organized both by these regional offices and by research themes called sector programs. Programs are led by members of the organization's board of directors, and cover eight areas:

  • Agriculture
  • Crime
  • Education
  • Energy and Environment
  • Finance
  • Health
  • Labor Markets
  • Political Economy & Governance

J-PAL is currently led by Professors Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Ben Olken as Faculty Directors and Iqbal Dhaliwal as the Global Executive Director.[19] J-PAL's Board of Directors sets the vision and strategy for the organization and includes the Global Directors and executive director, Regional Scientific Directors and executive directors, and Chairs of the Sector Programs. In 2019, J-PAL co-founders Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, and long time research affiliate Michael Kremer were awarded the Nobel prize in economics "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."[20]

Partnerships

Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award.[21]

Other J-PAL research partners include the Centre for Micro Finance,

Center of Evaluation for Global Action, Ideas 42,[23] Educate!,[24] the Small Enterprise Finance Center,[25] and the Global Innovation Fund.[26][27]

Experiments and findings in India

J-PAL has conducted extensive work in India. Below are some examples of experiments and findings in India:[28]

  • Teaching at the Right Level: J-PAL-affiliated researchers partnered with the organization Pratham to conduct numerous randomized evaluations of their Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach. The research shows that TaRL consistently improves learning when implemented well.[29]
  • AP
    Smartcards
    : Assessed impact of Smartcards on leakages in MGNREGS and social security pensions in AP and found that it reduced time taken by beneficiaries to receive payments, reduced leakages, and increased user satisfaction.
  • Haryana Schools: Experimented with teaching students at their actual learning levels, rather than the grade they are in. Such students did better at Hindi but no better at maths.
  • Bihar
    MGNREGA
    : Conducted 12 districts and is testing impact on payment delays and corruption in a new official system of funds release.
  • Rajasthan Police: Conducted between 2005 and 2008, the study involved sending decoys to police stations with fictitious complaints, and analyzing how many cases were actually registered, as well as how policing could be improved.
  • balwadis
    greatly increased their weight and school participation.
  • Udaipur Absent Teachers: In 2003, showed how financial incentives and fines increased teacher attendance, leading to improved learning outcomes for students.
  • Gujarat Pollution Auditing: Experimented with third party pollution audits of industrial firms paid for by a central pool, instead of by the firm itself; found that such independently paid for auditors reported higher levels of pollution.
  • Nurse Attendance: Showed monitoring nurses attendance and fining them for absenteeism led to dramatic improvement in attendance until local administration undermined the scheme.

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b "Boston Review — Rachel Glennerster and Michael Kremer: Small Changes, Big Results For The World's Poor". Archived from the original on August 6, 2011.
  2. ^ "MIT alumnus backs Poverty Action Lab with 3 major endowments". Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Arab News". Arab News. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  4. ^ "The Pragmatic Rebels". Bloomberg.com. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2018 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  5. ^ Kristof, Nicholas (20 November 2009). "How Can We Help the World's Poor?". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty book review by Bill Gates". Archived from the original on 2013-05-11. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  7. ^ "About us". www.povertyactionlab.org. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Home". www.povertyactionlab.org. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  9. ^ "The Impact of Eyeglasses on the Academic Performance of Primary School Students in China". The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  10. ^ "Deworming to increase school attendance". Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  11. ^ "MIT TechTV – Nava Ashraf, J-PAL Africa Launch". Archived from the original on August 28, 2011.
  12. ^ "Incentives for Immunization | The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab". Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).
  13. ^ "J-PAL Training and Education". Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  14. ^ "2018 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Arab News". Arab News. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  16. ^ "Arab News". Arab News. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  17. ^ J-PAL's regional office in Southeast Asia, based at the University of Indonesia. Official J-PAL website. Retrieved 2013-8-23
  18. ^ "News – 2013 – MIT's Jameel Poverty Action Lab launches regional office for North America". shass.mit.edu. MIT SHASS. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  19. ^ "Board Members". J-PAL. Archived from the original on 2016-03-17.
  20. ^ "J-PAL Co-Founders and Affiliate awarded 2019 Nobel Prize".
  21. ^ a b "FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  22. ^ "IFMR-Centre for Micro Finance". July 17, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17.
  23. ^ "ideas42 | Asking the Right Questions". June 25, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-06-25.
  24. ^ "Educate!". www.povertyactionlab.org. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  25. ^ "IFMR - Small Enterprise Finance Centre: Applied research for SME development". July 31, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-31.
  26. ^ "Reducing Anemia". Global Innovation Fund. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  27. ^ "J-PAL Health Insurance Project". Global Innovation Fund. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  28. ^ "J-PAL in India". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  29. doi:10.1257/jep.31.4.73
    .
  30. ^ "J-PAL captures major new international award". Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  31. ^ "The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers". Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  32. ^ "Statement of Commendation". The Social Science Research Council Albert O. Hirschmann Prize. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.

External links

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