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Decoding randomised controlled trials

Poverty is a complex, multi-dimensional issue. Is it amenable to solutions that deploy RCT?

(From left) Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer, the winners of 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
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(From left) Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer, the winners of 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

Atanu Biswas
In his 2017 book, Experimental Conversations: Perspectives on Randomised Trials in Development Economics, Timothy Ogden, an expert on financial inclusion, was looking for credible assessments on “randomised controlled trials” (RCT) to know “how we learn about the world, what evidence is and means, and how policy should and shouldn’t be formed” from the distinguished researchers who interact with RCT in every imaginable way.

Examples of RCT in real-life clinical trials can be traced back to the 16th century. Documented evidence of RCT in psychology and education in the late 19th century is available, and rigorous statistical formulation of RCT was
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