J-PAL North America

🚨NEW JOB ALERT🚨 J-PAL North America at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is recruiting two Senior Policy Associates to support our mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Our Senior Policy Associates play an important part in our work by supporting J-PAL North America’s ongoing partnerships with researchers, policymakers, implementing partners, and philanthropic partners. We are seeking candidates with an understanding of impact evaluation, familiarity with economics and statistics, knowledge of social policy, excellent oral and written communication skills, strong project management skills, and who can take ownership of their work independently and collaborate with the team. These Senior Policy Associate roles are based in Cambridge, MA and offer a hybrid work model. Please share with your networks and apply by August 7th! https://lnkd.in/d-Rfwu4h

What role can randomized evaluations play in evaluating the impact of Medicaid? A new op-ed in Health Affairs from J-PAL North America Co-Scientific Director Amy Finkelstein and former Connecticut Medicaid Director Gui Woolston shows how Medicaid offices can rigorously evaluate their programs using randomized evaluations to improve program effectiveness and impact. The authors propose two approaches and five actionable steps that Medicaid offices can take to begin the evaluation process. https://lnkd.in/dGizuhqX Want to evaluate your program? J-PAL North America is ready to support any Medicaid offices interested in conducting randomized evaluations of their programs.

🚨New results🚨 Researchers Sumit Agarwal (Harvard University), Benjamin Lê Cook (Harvard University), and Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) affiliated professor Jeffrey Liebman found that monthly cash transfers of up to $400 given to households for nine months in Chelsea, MA reduced emergency department visits, particularly for visits related to substance use. The reduction in health care spending offset as much as half of the program’s costs. These results present new evidence of how cash transfers can have direct impacts on health care usage and health outcomes. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dRPsgccK

In an interview with Arnold Ventures, J-PAL North America Co-Executive Director Vincent Quan discussed our new work at the intersection of criminal justice and poverty alleviation. J-PAL North America will catalyze new research with our affiliated professors that can lead to more effective policy interventions for people involved in the criminal justice system. Read more here https://lnkd.in/gRQ5dgVH and stay up to date on our growing work in this field by signing up for our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eXkrY8pA

🚨New results🚨 The postpartum cliff—the drop in primary care engagement after pregnancy—presents a missed opportunity for individuals to continue engaging in health care. A new study from Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) affiliated professor Jessica Cohen and coauthors Mark Clapp, MD MPH, Alaka Ray, Pichliya Liang, Ishani Ganguli, and Kaitlyn James found that decreasing administrative burdens by auto-scheduling appointments and sending reminder messages can increase primary care engagement by postpartum individuals. Read more about the evaluation here: https://lnkd.in/dsfGX6yY

This month marks Kevin Wentworth's and Sarah Margolis' five-year work anniversaries! Let’s take a look back at some of their remarkable accomplishments over these past five years. Kevin is a Finance and Operations Manager and goes above and beyond in all aspects of his work, from grant and financial management to co-chairing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group (DEIWG) over the past 2 years. Managing our budgets requires a strong attention to detail, and Kevin does so with ease and is always willing to lend a hand to help colleagues navigate complex finance questions. See more of Kevin’s work: https://lnkd.in/dVmu83H9 Sarah is a Senior Initiatives Manager and manages our processes for funding new research projects with expertise and efficiency. Sarah is always quick to find solutions to tricky questions that pop up throughout the grant award process and is able to efficiently move these processes forward no matter the obstacles she may face! Learn more about Sarah’s work: https://lnkd.in/dxmx5PtN

This month all J-PAL North America staff came together for our annual retreat to celebrate our accomplishments from this past year and look ahead to our new and exciting future projects. Highlights included mapping out our organizational Theory of Change, celebrating work anniversaries, and developing our understanding of best internal communication practices. It was great to spend the day collaborating, connecting, and learning with each other!

Louise Geraghty (J-PAL North America), Zachary Markovits (Results for America), and Carrie S. Cihak (King County, WA) push jurisdictions to evaluate programs that will provide actionable evidence on how to best serve their communities. Read more about how state and local governments can do this in their new op-ed in Route Fifty: https://lnkd.in/dhJsgYsG

This past week we hosted Evaluating Social Programs, a week-long training for participants wanting to learn how to rigorously evaluate their own programs. We were excited to have many of our state and local government partners attend, showing their commitment to continuously improving their programs. Thank you to all participants and lecturers who joined us! Interested in participating in the future? Make sure to follow us and subscribe to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dy5xxjMX