Check out this great NYT piece on the relevance of economics in public policy. The article focuses on the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL) and the development economists that comprise the heart and soul of the organization.
The beauty of JPAL is their use of randomized field experiments, which are becoming quite hot in the social sciences, to understand the effectiveness of specific policies and programs aiming to improve economic outcomes and well-being among the poor. A quick perusal of the JPAL website reveals some interesting projects, ranging from provision of textbooks and educational inputs for schooling, malarial bed-nets, and a variety of innovate financial products designed to increase savings and investment.
I spent some time this summer meeting with individuals associated with JPAL-South Asia and the affiliated Institute for Financial and Management Research (both in Chennai, India) and I can attest that both institutes are veritable hothouses of ideas, innovation and excitement. My time there cemented a long-standing desire to be more policy-relevant with my own work (though I'm not sure how successful I have been on that front!).
1 comment:
oooh. new layout. nice and clean. i like it!
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