Findings
Labour & employmentDeploy audited, diversity-recalibrated machine learning matching algorithms within public job placement platforms to automate candidate screening and resume preparation support.Algorithmic recommendation of workers to employers improved recruit pool quality and increased overall hiring. Algorithmic writing assistance on job seekers' resumes boosted hiring probability by 8 percent. Initial hiring algorithms selected far fewer Black and Hispanic candidates, but re-engineered algorithms successfully increased demographic diversity while maintaining high hiring rates.RCTCrime & justiceStructure youth employment interventions around experiential skill formation rather than relying on physical monitoring to achieve durable crime reductions.In OSC+, the bulk of the 35% violent crime arrest reduction occurred after the 7-week summer program concluded, persisting for a full year. In NYC SYEP, mortality reductions (18% drop) and incarceration reductions (10% drop) persisted across multiple post-program years.RCTEducationRequire student intake consent and program registration prior to randomization or service assignment to maximize participant engagement and minimize administrative attrition.Phase 1 opt-in outreach yielded a low take-up rate of 22% (94/430 students), whereas Phase 2 pre-consent enrollment achieved an 87.3% take-up rate.RCT
Methods
DevelopmentGuided social activities give workers a comfortable, structured way to share personal stories and practical knowledge.Newly arrived female migrant workers in factory hostels experience severe loneliness and lack organic ways to build social bonds. Without structured social interaction, newcomers struggle to adjust to urban manufacturing environments. This method provides structured weekly activities to foster friendships between junior workers and senior peers.RCTDevelopmentMatching mentors and mentees by shared native language eliminates communication barriers and enables immediate rapport.Newly arrived female migrant workers in factory hostels often struggle to communicate due to linguistic diversity and geographic relocation. Unmatched peer support can fail when participants do not share a common language or residential space. This method pairs junior migrant workers with senior colleagues who share their native language and living quarters.RCTDevelopmentTraining senior peers in cognitive behavioral therapy expands access to evidence-based mental health support without relying on specialized clinical staff.Young female migrant workers in factory hostels experience severe loneliness and psychological strain. Formal mental health services are scarce in low-resource manufacturing settings. This method trains senior peers to deliver context-adapted cognitive behavioral therapy sessions and behavioral assignments to newly arrived junior workers.RCT