J-PAL Voices

Researcher Spotlight: Gautam Rao on co-producing evidence with policymakers

podcasts@povertyactionlab.org (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:00:00 +0000

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 partnerships with policymakers, and emphasizes the importance of fieldwork in challenging academic assumptions.

Researcher Spotlight: Harini Kannan on designing and scaling education programs

podcasts@povertyactionlab.org (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 14:00:00 +0000

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 scaling evidence-informed programs.

Researcher Spotlight: Ariel Zucker on field-driven solutions in development economics

podcasts@povertyactionlab.org (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 14:00:00 +0000

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, highlighting how she balances theoretical frameworks with practical field realities to create meaningful, scalable solutions.

Researcher Spotlight: Shobhini Mukherji on her journey to development economics

podcasts@povertyactionlab.org (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Researcher Spotlight: Sandip Sukhtankar on his work in India

podcasts@povertyactionlab.org (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 19:12:44 +0000

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.

Episode 7: Using Research to Understand Impact

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:56:12 +0000

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 discuss research showing that summer youth employment programs can improve the lives of young people in outcome areas as diverse as employment, criminal legal system involvement, education, and youth development. We will also revisit program participants and implementers from the first season of J-PAL Voices to put the evidence in context of the day-to-day of SYEPs. Finally, we will discuss where we can go next.

We would love to hear your comments and feedback at podcasts@povertyactionlab.org. J-PAL Voices is brought to you by J-PAL North America (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/na). Stay in touch via Twitter (https://twitter.com/JPAL_NA), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/j-pal-north-america), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JPAL.NorthAmerica/).

Please take the short, one-minute survey at https://j-p.al/voicessurvey.

Links:

The Promises of Summer Youth Employment Program: Lessons from Randomized Evaluations, a J-PAL Evidence Review synthesizing thirteen randomized evaluations across four major U.S. cities’ SYEPs.

Mayor Adams Announces Record 100,000 Summer Youth Employment Opportunities, press conference on February 15, 2022

Biden outlines his administration's actions to curb violent crime and gun violence — 6/23/21, White House press conference, CNBC (Youtube)

YOU Boston Youth Recognition Celebration, Boston City TV (Youtube)

Episode 6: Change the Narrative

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:00:00 +0000

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 participants.Angela Rudolph in Chicago tells us that young people are just waiting for us to see them and invest in them. Julia Breitman in New York City is firm in her conviction that the desire to be agents of their own change exists in every young person. Summer jobs programs are not the silver bullet and it is too much to expect them to dismantle systemic inequalities. But they are a valuable part of fostering mobility from poverty and giving young people the tools that they need to solve conflict and develop the soft skills that will serve them well in the long run.

We would love to hear your comments and feedback at podcasts@povertyactionlab.org. J-PAL Voices is brought to you by J-PAL North America (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/na). Stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JPAL.NorthAmerica/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JPAL_NA).

Please take the short, one-minute survey at https://j-p.al/voicessurvey.

Links:

“Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job”, interview by Nico Pitney with Father Greg Boyle (webpage)

Episode 5: Create Access to Good Jobs

Wed, 9 Dec 2020 11:00:00 +0000

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 Development are working to ensure that summer jobs programs can create a pathway to good jobs. We learn how these programs teach their participants transferable skills and empower them to chart a future that best suits each individual’s needs.

We would love to hear your comments and feedback at podcasts@povertyactionlab.org. J-PAL Voices is brought to you by J-PAL North America (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/na). Stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JPAL.NorthAmerica/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JPAL_NA).

Please take the short, one-minute survey at https://j-p.al/voicessurvey.

Episode 4: Provide Support That Empowers

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 12:00:00 +0000

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” approach that these organizations take towards their participants. Researchers Sara Heller and Alicia Sasser-Modestino describe their findings around the conflict-resolution skills that these programs inculcate in their participants. And as Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend tells us, the resilience that program participants develop stands them in good stead, even leading to many of them eventually working at the same organizations that provided them their summer experiences.

We would love to hear your comments and feedback at podcasts@povertyactionlab.org. J-PAL Voices is brought to you by J-PAL North America (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/na). Stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JPAL.NorthAmerica/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JPAL_NA).

Please take the short, one-minute survey at https://j-p.al/voicessurvey.

Episode 3: Transform Data Use

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 12:00:00 +0000

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 participation have helped them meet racial equity targets in program delivery. Alicia Sasser-Modestino illustrates the variety of data sources used in an impact evaluation of Boston’s summer jobs program. Data help us look at mechanisms and a variety of outcomes, tell a diversity of stories, and ensure that we serve the most vulnerable individuals.

We would love to hear your comments and feedback at podcasts@povertyactionlab.org. J-PAL Voices is brought to you by J-PAL North America (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/na). Stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JPAL.NorthAmerica/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JPAL_NA).

Please take the short, one-minute survey at https://j-p.al/voicessurvey.

Links:

Knowledge @ Wharton video (webpage) of Judd Kessler speaking about the New York City SYEP evaluation
Using Administrative Data for Research and Evidence-Based Policy (webpage)

Episode 2: Ensure Zip Code is Not Destiny

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 11:00:00 +0000

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 introduce participants to a variety of perspectives. Hear how yesterday’s participants become today’s leaders through the stories of Rashad Cope and Tatiana Arguello. Learn about the value of building deep relationships from the Philadelphia Youth Network’s Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend. And hear from participants like Benjamin Babayev and Sunny Lee on how their summer experiences broadened their horizons.

We would love to hear your comments and feedback at podcasts@povertyactionlab.org. J-PAL Voices is brought to you by J-PAL North America (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/na). Stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JPAL.NorthAmerica/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JPAL_NA).

Please take the short, one-minute survey at https://j-p.al/voicessurvey.

Links:

·How do Summer Youth Employment Programs Improve Criminal Justice Outcomes, and for Whom? (pdf) by Alicia Sasser-Modestino

·PBS News Hour video (webpage) on Chicago’s One Summer Chicago program going virtual

·Snapshots: 20 Years of Impact (webpage) publication with participant stories from the Philadelphia Youth Network

·WBUR story (webpage) on Boston’s summer youth employment program adjusting this summer

·United Activities Unlimited’s Summer Youth Employment Program page (webpage)

Episode 1: Setting the Stage

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 11:00:00 +0000

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 Habiba Khan and Erica Chen, who went through Common Point Queens’ Ladders for Leaders program. Program Directors like Angela Rudolph and Julia Breitman, who oversee summer jobs activities in Chicago and New York City. Over the rest of the season, we explore how summer jobs programs might help foster upward mobility, by diving deep into these programs through the lens of the US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty’s five strategies.

We would love to hear your comments and feedback at podcasts@povertyactionlab.org. J-PAL Voices is brought to you by J-PAL North America (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/na). Stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JPAL.NorthAmerica/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JPAL_NA).

Please take the short, one-minute survey at https://j-p.al/voicessurvey.

Links:

· Stopping a Bullet with a Summer Job (pdf), a J-PAL Policy Briefcase summarizing research by Judd Kessler and Sara Heller amongst others

· Chicago Magazine coverage (webpage) of the research in Chicago

· Additional summaries of the research by Judd Kessler (webpage) and Sara Heller (webpage)

· The Effects of Youth Employment: Evidence from New York City Lotteries (pdf) by Alexander Gelber, Adam Isen, and Judd Kessler

· Summer Jobs Reduce Violence Among Disadvantaged Youth (webpage) by Sara Heller

· The US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty (webpage)

· Chicago’s One Summer Chicago program page (webpage)

· Common Point Queens’ Summer Youth Employment Program page (webpage)

· New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (webpage)

Introducing: J-PAL Voices

podcasts@povertyactionlab.org (Rohit Naimpally) — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 22:08:40 +0000

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 all of us. We hope you’ll join the conversation and tune into J-PAL Voices. Coming to you this October, wherever you listen to podcasts.