Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity

When properly implemented, Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) achieve a high degree of internal validity. Yet, if an RCT is to inform policy, it is critical to establish external validity. This paper systematically reviews all RCTs conducted in developing countries and published in leading economic...

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Main Authors:	Peters, Jorg, Langbein, Jorg, Roberts, Gareth
Format:	Journal Article
Published:	Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank 2019
Subjects:	RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL EQUILIBRIUM EFFECTS POLICY EVALUATION ESTIMATION BIAS HAWTHORNE EFFECTS
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32174

id	okr-10986-32174
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	okr-10986-321742021-05-25T10:54:42Z Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity Peters, Jorg Langbein, Jorg Roberts, Gareth RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL EQUILIBRIUM EFFECTS POLICY EVALUATION ESTIMATION BIAS HAWTHORNE EFFECTS When properly implemented, Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) achieve a high degree of internal validity. Yet, if an RCT is to inform policy, it is critical to establish external validity. This paper systematically reviews all RCTs conducted in developing countries and published in leading economic journals between 2009 and 2014 with respect to how they deal with external validity. Following Duflo, Glennerster, and Kremer (2008), we scrutinize the following hazards to external validity: Hawthorne effects, general equilibrium effects, specific sample problems, and special care in treatment provision. Based on a set of objective indicators, we find that the majority of published RCTs does not discuss these hazards and many do not provide the necessary information to assess potential problems. The paper calls for including external validity dimensions in a more systematic reporting on the results of RCTs. This may create incentives to avoid overgeneralizing findings and help policy makers to interpret results appropriately. 2019-08-05T19:37:29Z 2019-08-05T19:37:29Z 2018-02-01 Journal Article World Bank Research Observer 1564-6971 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32174 CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo World Bank Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank Publications & Research :: Journal Article Publications & Research
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	Digital Repositories
building	World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection	World Bank
topic	RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL EQUILIBRIUM EFFECTS POLICY EVALUATION ESTIMATION BIAS HAWTHORNE EFFECTS
spellingShingle	RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL EQUILIBRIUM EFFECTS POLICY EVALUATION ESTIMATION BIAS HAWTHORNE EFFECTS Peters, Jorg Langbein, Jorg Roberts, Gareth Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity
description	When properly implemented, Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) achieve a high degree of internal validity. Yet, if an RCT is to inform policy, it is critical to establish external validity. This paper systematically reviews all RCTs conducted in developing countries and published in leading economic journals between 2009 and 2014 with respect to how they deal with external validity. Following Duflo, Glennerster, and Kremer (2008), we scrutinize the following hazards to external validity: Hawthorne effects, general equilibrium effects, specific sample problems, and special care in treatment provision. Based on a set of objective indicators, we find that the majority of published RCTs does not discuss these hazards and many do not provide the necessary information to assess potential problems. The paper calls for including external validity dimensions in a more systematic reporting on the results of RCTs. This may create incentives to avoid overgeneralizing findings and help policy makers to interpret results appropriately.
format	Journal Article
author	Peters, Jorg Langbein, Jorg Roberts, Gareth
author_facet	Peters, Jorg Langbein, Jorg Roberts, Gareth
author_sort	Peters, Jorg
title	Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity
title_short	Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity
title_full	Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity
title_fullStr	Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity
title_full_unstemmed	Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity
title_sort	generalization in the tropics – development policy, randomized controlled trials, and external validity
publisher	Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank
publishDate	2019
url	http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32174
_version_	1764475957663498240

Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity

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