Cowen, Nick, Virk, Baljinder, Mascarenhas-Keyes, Stella and Cartwright, Nancy (2017) Randomized Controlled Trials: How Can We Know “What Works”? Critical Review, 29 (3). pp. 265-292. ISSN 0891-3811
Full content URL: http://doi.org/10.1080/08913811.2017.1395223
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Randomized Controlled Trials How Can We Know What Works.pdf 459kB |
Item Type: | Article |
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Item Status: | Live Archive |
Abstract
“Evidence-based” methods, which most prominently include randomized controlled trials, have gained increasing purchase as the “gold standard” for assessing the effect of public policies. But the enthusiasm for evidence-based research overlooks questions about the reliability and applicability of experimental findings to diverse real-world settings. Perhaps surprisingly, a qualitative study of British educators suggests that they are aware of these limitations and therefore take evidence-based findings with a much larger grain of salt than do policy makers. Their experience suggests that the real world is more heterogeneous than the world imagined by evidence-based policy enthusiasts.
Keywords: | behavioral economics, education policy, evidence-based policy, meta-analysis, nudge, nudging, systematic review |
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Subjects: | X Education > X320 Academic studies in Primary Education X Education > X330 Academic studies in Secondary Education L Social studies > L210 Political Theories L Social studies > L430 Public Policy |
Divisions: | College of Social Science > School of Social & Political Sciences |
ID Code: | 36230 |
Deposited On: | 19 Jun 2019 08:36 |
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