The Limitations of Randomized Controlled Trials

Angus Deaton and Nancy Cartwright:

The limitations of randomized controlled trials: In recent years, the use of randomized controlled trials has spread from labor market and welfare program evaluation to other areas of economics, and to other social sciences, perhaps most prominently in development and health economics. This column argues that some of the popularity of such trials rests on misunderstandings about what they are capable of accomplishing, and cautions against simple extrapolations from trials to other contexts. ...