Experimentation at Scale
Journal of Economic Perspectives
vol. 31,
no. 4, Fall 2017
(pp. 103-24)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
This paper makes the case for greater use of randomized experiments "at scale." We review various critiques of experimental program evaluation in developing countries, and discuss how experimenting at scale along three specific dimensions—the size of the sampling frame, the number of units treated, and the size of the unit of randomization—can help alleviate the concerns raised. We find that program-evaluation randomized controlled trials published over the last 15 years have typically been "small" in these senses, but also identify a number of examples—including from our own work—demonstrating that experimentation at much larger scales is both feasible and valuable.Citation
Muralidharan, Karthik, and Paul Niehaus. 2017. "Experimentation at Scale." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31 (4): 103-24. DOI: 10.1257/jep.31.4.103Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C90 Design of Experiments: General
- D78 Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
- O10 Economic Development: General
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