School of Public Policy Professor Susan Parker was recently invited to become a faculty affiliate with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a global research center created in 2005 by MIT in partnership with Community Jameel. J-PAL’s mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence, which is accomplished through research, policy outreach and training. The network includes over 250 affiliated professors at universities around the world.
Parker is excited to become a part of J-PAL’s distinguished network and utilize their resources to advance her efforts to combat poverty. “I am extremely gratified to now be part of this prestigious group which will further enhance my ability to contribute to the mission of reducing poverty through sound evidence,” said Parker.
J-PAL is known for conducting randomized impact evaluations to tackle pressing questions in poverty alleviation and invests in research addressing global challenges. As an affiliate, Parker will benefit from J-PAL’s extensive resources, including funding opportunities, pilot project implementations and connections with partners, which will support her efforts to test new interventions and policies.
Parker highlighted the importance of making research actionable for policymakers. She believes J-PAL’s global outreach will enhance the dissemination of her research and strengthen ties between academics and policymakers. “Producing and getting policymakers to take note of relevant research and adjust policy accordingly … is my constant objective and always challenging,” shared Parker. “JPAL’s outreach and networks across the world will greatly facilitate the diffusion of my research to relevant contexts, as well as increasing networks between academics and policymakers.”
Parker is especially interested in education-related projects in Latin America, with a particular focus on Mexico. “Latin America is a highly unequal region and Mexico is one of the most unequal countries in the world,” asserted Parker. “The implication of that is that although Mexico is a medium to higher income country, it has a huge amount of extreme poverty, e.g. individuals living under $1 a day.” Parker plans to address the significant educational inequalities in Mexico, which have worsened due to the pandemic, and to research initiatives that support educational investment in the country’s poorest areas.
