On the Analogy between Field Experiments in Economics and Clinical Trials in Medicine - Archive ouverte HAL Access content directly
Journal Articles Journal of Economic Methodology Year : 2016

On the Analogy between Field Experiments in Economics and Clinical Trials in Medicine

Judith Favereau

Abstract

Randomized experiments, as developed by Esther Duflo and Abhi-jit Banerjee at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), offer a novel, evidence-based approach to fighting poverty. This approach is original in that it imports the methodology of clinical trials for application in development economics. This paper examines the analogy between J-PAL's field experiments in development economics and randomized controlled trials in medicine. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and randomized field experiments (RFEs) are commonly treated as identical, but such treatment neglects some of the major distinguishing features that make each experiment specifically apt for use in its respective field. The central claim of this paper is that the analogy between medicine and development economics is incomplete because the central dimensions of RCTs are not simply different, but altogether lacking in J-PAL's approach. This weakens both the political and the theoretical power of such experiments in development economics.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
judith-favereau_on-the-analogy-between-field-experiments-in-economics-and-clinical-trials-in-medicine.pdf (335.03 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origin : Files produced by the author(s)
Loading...

Dates and versions

hal-02092631 , version 1 (08-04-2019)

Identifiers

  • HAL Id : hal-02092631 , version 1

Cite

Judith Favereau. On the Analogy between Field Experiments in Economics and Clinical Trials in Medicine. Journal of Economic Methodology, 2016. ⟨hal-02092631⟩
75 View
835 Download

Share

Gmail Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More