The DOI matches its Crossref record; 7 of the 7 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Power and Pitfalls of Experiments in Development Economics: Some Non‐random Reflections
Open accessAbstract
Impact evaluation based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) offers a powerful tool that has fundamentally reshaped development economics by offering novel solutions to long‐standing problems of weak causal identification. Nonetheless, RCTs suffer important and underappreciated pitfalls, some of which are intrinsic to the method when applied to economic problems, others that are the result of methodological boosterism. Among the pitfalls are ethical dilemmas, uncontrollable treatments that result in a ‘faux exogeneity,’ distortion of the research agenda, and a tendency to estimate interventions' abstract efficacy rather than their effectiveness in practice. We illustrate these points through the literature on smallholder capital access and productivity growth. Ultimately, we argue for a methodological pluralism that recognizes all identification strategies' limitations.
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Cites
Identification of Causal Effects Using Instrumental Variables
Angrist, J. D., Imbens, G. W., & Rubin, D. B. (1996) · Journal of the American Statistical Association · doi:10.1080/01621459.1996.10476902 · Cited by 4,230
Adoption of Agricultural Innovations in Developing Countries: A Survey
Feder, G., Just, R. E., & Zilberman, D. (1985) · Economic Development and Cultural Change · doi:10.1086/451461 · Cited by 3,482
Learning about a New Technology: Pineapple in Ghana
Conley, T. G., & Udry, C. R. (2010) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.100.1.35 · Cited by 2,180
Smallholder market participation: Concepts and evidence from eastern and southern Africa
Barrett, C. B. (2008) · Food Policy · doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2007.10.005 · Cited by 1,246
Self-citationCash or Condition? Evidence from a Cash Transfer Experiment
Baird, S., McIntosh, C., & Ozler, B. (2011) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1093/qje/qjr032 · Cited by 834
List, J., Sadoff, S., & Wagner, M. (2010) · doi:10.3386/w15701 · Cited by 22
Cited by
Cash or Condition? Evidence from a Cash Transfer Experiment
Baird, S., McIntosh, C., & Ozler, B. (2011) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1093/qje/qjr032 · Cited by 834
Smallholder Participation in Contract Farming: Comparative Evidence from Five Countries
Barrett, C. B., Bachke, M. E., Bellemare, M. F., Michelson, H. C., Narayanan, S., & Walker, T. F. (2012) · World Development · doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.09.006 · Cited by 730
Self-citationToward a theory of resilience for international development applications
Barrett, C. B., & Constas, M. A. (2014) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1320880111 · Cited by 511
Self-citationMeasuring Social Networks' Effects on Agricultural Technology Adoption
Maertens, A., & Barrett, C. B. (2013) · American Journal of Agricultural Economics · doi:10.1093/ajae/aas049 · Cited by 370
Self-citationAgri-food value chain revolutions in low- and middle-income countries
Barrett, C. B., Reardon, T., Swinnen, J., & Zilberman, D. (2022) · Journal of Economic Literature · doi:10.1257/jel.20201539 · Cited by 371
Metadata
- Authors
- Barrett, C. B., & Carter, M. R.
- Venue
- Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-12
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 515-548
- ISSN
- 2040-5790 (ISSN-L)
- 2040-5804
- OpenAlex
- W2021675608
- Cited by
- 308
- References
- 7
- FWCI
- 15.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
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