Welcome to the J-PAL LAC's Resources Page 

What is the purpose of this site?

The goal of this webpage is to present useful information for the implementation of new research projects at the J-PAL LAC office. In specific you will find details about:

• How to start a project with us, including hiring the project's team.

• Practical guidelines and resources to determine the best scheme for data collection activities, including setting up call centers or outsourcing services with a regional data collection firm.

• Ethical requirements and country-specific rules (LAC) for applying to IRBs.

• Research resources developed to facilitate and ensure high-quality data and reproducible research.

• Policy outreach resources for disseminating your research and engaging with relevant stakeholders in the region. 

Who is the target population of this webpage?

• J-PAL Affiliates and Invited Researchers who want to interact or are interacting with the LAC office, and their co-authors.

• Research teams working on current projects at J-PAL LAC.

What is expected of researchers working with J-PAL?

 J-PAL has policies to help assure high-quality, ethical, and transparent research practices in projects implemented or funded by J-PAL.  Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the following:

• Code of conduct for the J-PAL community: We work to ensure that all members of our community, including our staff, researchers, and those associated with our implemented or funded projects and events, are respected, supported, and valued. This is a key component of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and is a core value that will never change. Discrimination, harassment, and abuse have no place in our work and are not tolerated.

• J-PAL research protocols: Our research protocols describe "minimum must dos" and best practices to ensure the ethical conduct of research, data security, and data quality. Please review these protocols carefully. All projects funded or carried out by J-PAL must adhere to these guidelines.

• J-PAL guidelines for minimum standards of research operations: J-PAL expects all researchers—including affiliated professors, invited researchers, post-docs, PhD students, and their co-PIs—who work with J-PAL to adhere to certain minimum standards of research operations. The guidelines outlined in this document are separate from, and in addition to, our code of conduct. They cover finance-, research-, and management-related guidelines.

• Data publication policy: All data collected for J-PAL-funded projects must be published in de-identified form as IRB protocols allow. Researchers are additionally encouraged to publish data from all of their RCTs. Many funders have also begun to require the publication of data that was collected as part of funded projects. J-PAL can help publish data from any RCT conducted by a J-PAL Affiliate, or from any J-PAL funded study, free of charge. Please contact us at data@povertyactionlab.org for more information. 

• RCT registration: All projects funded or implemented by J-PAL must be registered with the AEA RCT Registry or an equivalent registry. Affiliates are encouraged to register all their RCTs, not just those that are J-PAL-funded or run through a J-PAL office.

• FAQ for affiliates: