J-PAL Voices

In this episode, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Gautam Rao, Associate Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley. From his unconventional journey from electronics engineering to economics, Gautam shares insights on his behavioral economics and mental health research in India. He discusses his collaborative study on psychotherapy's long-term effects in Goa, explores effective strategies for building...

In this episode, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Harini Kannan, Research Scientist at J-PAL South Asia. Harini shares her journey from being inspired by budget speeches as a child to pursuing a career in development economics. Drawing from her extensive experience collaborating with government partners across India, Harini offers valuable insights into building effective partnerships and scalin...

In this episode, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Ariel Zucker, Assistant Professor of Economics at UC Santa Cruz. Ariel discusses her journey from an early interest in global health disparities to becoming a development economist specializing in experimental approaches. She shares insights from her research on health interventions for diabetes patients and groundwater conservation in India, hig...

In this episode, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director of J-PAL South Asia. From her transformative summer internship with education nonprofit Pratham to becoming a principal investigator on groundbreaking research, Shobhini shares her journey into development economics and experimental approaches.

Season 2 of the J-PAL Voices podcast brings together researchers reflecting on their experiences conducting impact evaluations in India. From working in diverse local contexts to engaging with government and civil society, each episode offers a window into the realities of producing policy-relevant evidence on the ground. 

Every year from June to August, hundreds of thousands of youth – between the ages of 14 and 24 – participate in summer jobs programs across the United States. These programs, also known as summer youth employment programs or SYEPs, have been receiving greater attention over the past few years as an important policy tool to improve youth outcomes.  In this special episode of J-PAL Voices, we will d...

In arguing that changing the narrative is a critical strategy in fostering mobility from poverty, the US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty notes that “the narratives we use to make sense of the world shape our attitudes and ultimately the policies we devise and endorse”. On the final episode of this season of J-PAL Voices we hear how summer jobs programs are changing the narrative for their par...

In Boston, Chicago, and New York City, research has shown that summer jobs programs lead to a large decrease in violent crime and incarceration. However, in some places, the impacts on earnings are more muted in the short-term. In episode five of J-PAL Voices: The Impact and Promise of Summer Jobs in the United  States, we learn how agencies like New York City’s Department of Youth and Community D...

How do summer jobs programs empower their youth through short programs? What leads to the lasting impact that we see in decreases in violent crime well after the programs conclude? In episode four of J-PAL Voices: The Impact and Promise of Summer Jobs in the United States , we hear from service providers like Danielle Ellman at Commonpoint Queens about the “whole person” and “whole family” approac...

In describing his partnership with the Department of Youth & Community Development, Judd Kessler says that this research agenda is in large part a story about data. In episode three of J-PAL Voices: The Impact and Promise of Summer Jobs in the United States, we look at the role that data play in summer jobs programs. Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend and Julia Breitman discuss how data on program particip...

What does it mean for a program to transform communities while remaining grounded in the voices and perspectives of residents? In the second episode of J-PAL Voices: The Impact and Promise of Summer Jobs in the United States, we look at how summer jobs programs in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City strive to ensure that zip code is not destiny. These programs celebrate diversity and...

In the first episode of J-PAL Voices: The Impact and Promise of Summer Jobs in the United States, we introduce you to some of the people you will meet throughout the series: Researchers like Judd Kessler and Sara Heller, who use rigorous randomized evaluations, or randomized controlled trials, to measure the impact of summer jobs programs on crime, incarceration, and employment. Participants like...

Hosted by Senior Research and Policy Manager Rohit Naimpally, the inaugural season of J-PAL Voices will explore how summer jobs programs fit into the broader goals of fostering mobility from poverty in the United States. Hear from advocates and program coordinators, researchers, and most importantly, the participants themselves about why these programs matter to them and why they should matter for...