Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Laboratory (J-PAL)

Co-investigators Abhijit Banerjee , Esther Duflo , Iqbal Dhaliwal , Claire Walsh , David Autor , Amy Finkelstein , Ben Olken , Antoinette Schoar , Tavneet Suri

Project Website http://www.povertyactionlab.org/

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 use randomized evaluations to answer critical policy questions in the fight against poverty.

J-PAL’s mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is based on scientific evidence, and research is translated into action. We do this through three main activities:

(*) Conducting Rigorous Impact Evaluations: J-PAL researchers conduct randomized evaluations to test and improve the effectiveness of programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty.

(*) Policy Outreach: J-PAL’s policy group analyzes and disseminates research results and builds partnerships with policymakers to ensure that policy is driven by evidence, and effective programs are scaled up.

(*) Capacity Building: J-PAL equips practitioners with the expertise to carry out their own rigorous evaluations through training courses and joint research projects.

J-PAL is organized both by regional offices and by research themes called Programs. J-PAL's headquarters is a center within the Economics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with independent regional offices in Africa, Europe, Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia that are hosted by a local university. J-PAL's Programs include Agriculture, Education, Environment and Energy, Finance, Health, Labor Markets, and Political Economy and Governance. These regional offices and Programs are directed by members of the J-PAL Board, which is composed of J-PAL affiliates and senior management. However, J-PAL's affiliated professors set their own research agenda and raise funds to support their evaluations.

J-PAL and its partners are driven by a shared belief in the power of scientific evidence to understand what really helps the poor, and what does not. J-PAL's many partners include:

(*) Nonprofits (NGOs) and governments that run the programs that J-PAL affiliates evaluate;
(*) Governments, foundations, international development organizations, and NGOs that use J-PAL's policy lessons on what works in poverty reduction to scale up the most cost-effective programs;
(*) Donors that provide funding for evaluations, scale-ups and special initiatives, and
(*) Research centers that help administer J-PAL affiliates' randomized evaluations and who employ the staff associated with these evaluations. Partners include Innovations for s 42, and the Small Enterprise Finance Center.

The lab is named for Abdul Latif Jameel, father of MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, who supported the Poverty Action Lab with three major endowments in 2005, and in 2009 gave another substantial gift of endowment support.

J-PAL's Programs include Agriculture, Education, Environment and Energy, Finance, Health, Labor Markets, and Political Economy and Governance. These regional offices and Programs are directed by members of the J-PAL Board, which is composed of J-PAL affiliates and senior management. However, J-PAL's affiliate professors set their own research agenda and raise funds to support their evaluations.

The Board of Directors provides overall strategic guidance to J-PAL and helps expand activities in research, capacity building and policy outreach. The Board elects 3 members, who, along with J-PAL Global Directors and J-PAL's Global Director of Policy form an Executive Committee that meets on a more frequent basis on decisions that have bearings on the direction of J-PAL and provide guidance and oversight to J-PAL's staff worldwide.