Randomistas and Radical Research: Uncovering What Works and What Doesn’t feat. Andrew Leigh

unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc · Oct 18, 2021 · 39m

Experimental research has been a perennial practice in the natural sciences, but social scientists have taken it up in recent decades as well. Randomized trials have been used to design policies aimed at increasing educational attainment, lowering crime rates, enhancing employment rates, and improving living standards among the poor. In his book, Randomistas, Andrew Leigh, an economist turned politician, tells the stories of radical researchers who uncovered what works and what doesn’t using experiments. From finding a cure for scurvy to improving social policies, Andrew talks about how…