tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38545607.post6635457987681724925..comments2024-03-09T10:26:48.789+00:00Comments on economics, psychology, policy: New York Times Article on Randomisation Designs for Housing PolicyEmma Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11466193733741012673noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38545607.post-34863794504631370982010-12-15T04:18:03.588+00:002010-12-15T04:18:03.588+00:00While mindful of researchers obligations to behave...While mindful of researchers obligations to behave ethically some of the criticisms of RCTs are pretty stupid. As a colleague pointed out to me once, whenever the government introduces a reform, say a tax change, or a housing policy, it is doing an experiment on the population: it does not know what the consequences will be. <br />The difference with an RCT is that it is an <i>experiment that you will learn something from</i>. So why do we apply different ethical standards to these experiments?Kevin Dennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17891633553910348880noreply@blogger.com