Random Update

Community Interventions to Improve Mental Health and Social Cohesion in Conflict-Affected Areas in Myanmar

Photo: A mental health group therapy session. © IPA

Researchers: Nicolas Cerkez, Alexandra Hartman, Jonathan Weigel, and Kyaw Zay Ya

In war-affected settings, a severe lack of health infrastructure forces people to rely on community-based groups to cope with the mental health challenges they face. In Kayin, Myanmar—a region caught in the middle of the ongoing civil war—researchers evaluated whether a psychosocial skills group counseling program and group activities improved mental health, well-being, and social cohesion. Participants of the group counseling program strengthened relationships with other members of the community, expected more from village leaders to provide basic services, and practiced religion more as a coping mechanism. This localized approach to mental health care offers a promising model to build resilience and community functioning in humanitarian contexts where formal mental health services are unavailable.

Can a Small Sachet Make a Big Difference?

Photo: A child eating a lipid-based nutrient supplement product from the Enov range in Burkina Faso. © Nutriset

Researchers: Günther Fink, Doug Parkerson, Peter Rockers, and Dorothy Sikazwe

Stunting affects approximately 42 percent of children under five in Zambia, with the highest rates among children in the lowest-income households. One promising intervention to reduce stunting is the provision of Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS), 20-gram sachets of fortified paste designed to address nutrient gaps in children’s diets between 6 and 23 months. They provide energy, protein, fats, and key micronutrients and can be added to meals or consumed directly. IPA is working with policymakers and researchers to explore how to scale SQ-LNS in Zambia and other countries facing high rates of malnutrition and food insecurity.

Doing by Learning: Q&A with Dean Karlan

In a recent interview with the Agency Fund, Dean Karlan, Founder of IPA and Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, reflected on the randomized controlled trial (RCT) movement, what’s been learned, what remains unknown, and what’s next.

Gender and Consumer Protection Learning Agenda

IPA’s Consumer Protection Research Initiative (CPRI) recently launched a Call for Research Proposals on evaluating interventions that reduce consumer risks and build trust in digital payments and credit products. Among other themes, CPRI is particularly interested in ​​​​research that examines gender disparities in consumer protection, including solutions that may be particularly effective at mitigating risks and building trust for women. CPRI has developed a learning agenda to outline the existing evidence on consumer protection risks for women, assess potential solutions, and identify priority gaps in the literature.

The Impact of a Low-Cost Learning Intervention in the Philippines

For young children, home is a key setting to gain important foundational skills. Yet it is sometimes assumed that parents in low-resource settings are not able to directly support children's educational instruction, since they are not trained teachers and might not have much education experience themselves. In a new working paper, co-authors Noam Angrist, Sarah Kabay (Education Program Director, IPA), Dean Karlan, Lincoln Lau, and Kevin Wong highlight how in the Philippines, a program supporting parents to play flashcard games teaching math & phonics increased early childhood learning, with impacts lasting one year later.