J-PAL Voices

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

Rigorous research paired with visionary public policy has shaped countless policies and programs worldwide. In this podcast from MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), you’ll come to know the stories behind the impact. 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.

  1. 20/07/2022

    Episode 7: Using Research to Understand Impact

    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)

    20 min
  2. 23/12/2020

    Episode 6: Change the Narrative

    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)

    22 min

About

Rigorous research paired with visionary public policy has shaped countless policies and programs worldwide. In this podcast from MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), you’ll come to know the stories behind the impact. 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.