Training 

IN-PERSON Courses

J-PAL Africa Evaluation Social Programs course (ESP)

J-PAL's Evaluating Social Programs course equips participants with the tools to rigorously assess the impact of programs and policies using randomized evaluations.

This immersive, week-long training offers an in-depth look at why and when randomized evaluations can be used to rigorously measure social impact, methods and considerations for their design and implementation, and how findings can inform evidence-based policies and programs.

Taught by J-PAL affiliated professors and senior staff, the course is tailored to the needs of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from NGOs, governments, international organizations, private sector companies, and foundations around the world. Participants will engage with coursework designed to help them apply learnings at their organizations through real-world examples.

Learn more about this course here

J-PAL Africa Conducting Experimental Research course (CER)

Each year, J-PAL Africa partners with a local university or partner to run a four- to five-day academic workshop on conducting randomized evaluations which aims to strengthen the knowledge and further develop the good practices of participants who are already well-versed in the methodological foundations of impact evaluations.

Although the format and content varies somewhat from year to year, the basic structure remains constant: Lectures and case studies will use real-world examples from Africa with a variety of themes, including labor, gender, finance, and governance. The course will review the benefits and methods of randomization, how to calculate an appropriate sample size using power calculations, and ways to mitigate common threats and pitfalls to the validity of a randomized evaluation. It will also cover the importance of a needs assessment and a theory of change, and how to measure outcomes effectively—tools that are critical for all program evaluations. on conducting randomized evaluations that aims to strengthen the knowledge of participants who are already well-versed in the methodological foundations of randomized evaluations. 

Learn more about the 2024 course here

ONLINE COURSES

J-PAL 101x: Evaluating Social Programs

Learn why and when randomized evaluations can be used to rigorously measure the impact of social programs through this self-paced, online version of our flagship in-person Evaluating Social Programs course. Through lectures taught by J-PAL affiliated professors and case studies based on real-world evaluations, learners gain a thorough understanding of: 

• • How to develop a theory of change and measure outcomes

  • Key components of a well-designed randomized evaluation

  • How to determine an appropriate sample size to estimate impact

  • Common threats and pitfalls to the validity of experiments

  • How to assess generalizability and use research findings

The course is available in three languages and takes an average of 20 hours to complete. Learners can take the course for free or pay a $99 fee for an optional certificate of completion. Learn more and enroll:

• • Evaluating Social Programs (English)

  • Evaluación de Impacto de Programas Sociales (Spanish)

  • Avaliação de Impacto de Programas e Políticas Sociais (Portuguese)

Learn more about this course here

J-PAL 102x: Designing and Running Randomized Evaluations

Through this semester-long course, participants learn practical skills for running randomized evaluations and collecting reliable data. In addition to the key concepts covered in J-PAL 101x, lectures taught by J-PAL affiliated professors and senior staff provide guidance on:

• How to implement randomized evaluations

• Questionnaire design, piloting, and quality control

• Data collection, management, and monitoring

• Research integrity and transparency

The course runs for 11 weeks and is offered two times per year on the MITx Online platform. The course can be taken for free or learners can pay $250-$1,000 (based on income) to earn a course certificate. 

Learn more about this course here

Online MIcroMasters in Data, Economics and design of policy

Tackle the most pressing problems facing the world’s poor from a rigorous, evidence-driven perspective with content and faculty from MIT’s Department of Economics and J-PAL.

J-PAL and MIT’s Department of Economics designed the MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) to equip learners with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge to tackle poverty alleviation using evidence-based approaches.

Through a series of online graduate-level courses, the content combines tools in program evaluation and policy design with a deep understanding of the economics and mathematical principles behind them. The program is unique in its focus on designing and running randomized evaluations to assess the effectiveness of social programs and its emphasis on hands-on skills in data analysis. 

Learn more and enroll in MicroMasters courses here