Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL, PAL)
Can academic economists help the world’s most disadvantaged people? Apparently yes. MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) applies academic tools to anti-poverty efforts. The five-year-old research center conducts randomized trials of development projects—such as fertilizer subsidies, school recruitment, and women as village leaders—to determine effectiveness.
J-PAL recently took on health problems in rural India, with randomized evaluations to determine why India’s poorest families were turning to shamans and amateur private “doctors” — despite the fact that India has a vast healthcare system to serve its billion people. J-PAL studies revealed that medical personnel are absent from their public posts 44 percent of the time, and that vital clinics were closed more than half the time.
J-PAL Co-Director Abhijit Banerjee and MISTI-India Director Tuli Banerjee documented those findings in a compelling film, The Name of the Disease, which demonstrated the urgency of the problem. J-PAL then introduced simple improvements like punch clocks and a digital camera to monitor and improve attendance by healthcare providers. The recommendations have been shared with charities and governments.
This is just one of the nearly two hundred studies that J-PAL uses to help fight poverty more effectively. And the world is noticing. In January, J-PAL won a Frontiers of Knowledge Award for its innovative approach. J-PAL Co-Director Esther Duflo has been named among the world’s top young economists, is a MacArthur Genius Award winner, and recently presented at the United Nations General Assembly’s special planning session on the Millennium Development Goals.
Learn more about J-PAL’s research and impact: http://www.povertyactionlab.org/
To watch the film The Name of the Disease: http://povertyactionlab.org/film/
Region: Global (all regions)
Type: Opportunities Abroad, Public Service
MIT Department: Economics
Contact: Rachel Glennerster
Email: rglenner@mit.edu
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