Can Randomized Controlled Trials Be Remedied?

Author's Department

Political Science Department

Second Author's Department

Economics Department

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https://doi.org/10.1162/daed_a_02145

All Authors

Rabab El-Mahdi Samer Atallah

Document Type

Research Article

Publication Title

Daedalus

Publication Date

5-1-2025

doi

10.1162/daed_a_02145

Abstract

As the Middle East and North Africa (mena) is becoming a lab for randomized controlled trials in the social sciences, this essay reflects on the use of this methodology in the region. Reflecting on earlier critiques of the method’s deployment in the Global South, we argue that the perils of its use outweigh the benefits. Unlike many of the existing critiques, we maintain that this methodology’s intrinsic flaws are further exacerbated in the context of mena, and that its shortcomings cannot be mitigated by safeguards. So instead of trying to further refine it, researchers should seek alternative methods.

First Page

157

Last Page

168

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