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“Follow the yellow brick road”?: Structural shortcomings in randomized control trials

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  • Akram-Lodhi, A. Haroon

Abstract

Randomized control trials (RCTs) lie at the heart of the experimental approach toalleviating global poverty, stressing how the mechanics of household choice can be altered to improve welfare. Yet because households are not unified but rather have their own structural characteristics it cannot be assumed that the choice to participate in or the benefits from an intervention are equitably distributed within the household. Similarly, individual choice within and beyond households are constrained by the structure of social-property relations. Thus, choice cannot be isolated from the structures within which members of households live, and which act to constrain agency.

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  • Akram-Lodhi, A. Haroon, 2020. "“Follow the yellow brick road”?: Structural shortcomings in randomized control trials," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:127:y:2020:i:c:s0305750x19304528
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104803
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Shaffer, 2011. "Against Excessive Rhetoric in Impact Assessment: Overstating the Case for Randomised Controlled Experiments," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(11), pages 1619-1635.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gugerty, Mary Kay & Mitchell, George E. & Santamarina, Francisco J., 2021. "Discourses of evaluation: Institutional logics and organizational practices among international development agencies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).

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