Rachel Glennerster

Promoting an open research culture

Author guidelines for journals could help to promote transparency, openness, and reproducibility Transparency, openness, and reproducibility are readily recognized as vital features of science (1, 2). When asked, most scientists embrace these features as disciplinary norms and values (3). Therefore, one might expect that these valued features would be routine in daily practice. Yet, a growing body of evidence suggests that this is not the case (4–6).

The Miracle of Microfinance? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation

Microcredit has spread extremely rapidly since its beginnings in the late 1970s, but whether and how much is helps the poor is the subject of intense debate. This paper reports on the …rst randomized evaluation of the impact of introducing microcredit in a new market. Half of 104 slums in Hyderabad, India were randomly selected for opening of an MFI branch while the remainder were not. We show that the intervention increased total MFI borrow.

Pitfalls of Participatory Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Education in India

This brief summarizes the results of a gender impact evaluation study, entitled Pitfalls of participatory programs: evidence from a randomized evaluation in education in India, conducted in between September to December 2005 in India. The study observed that participation of beneficiaries in the monitoring of public services is increasingly seen as a key to improving their quality. None of the interventions improved the involvement in public schools, nor did they improve the school performance. This is despite the large mobilization of volunteers. Children who attended reading camps did exhibit significant progress (children who attended were 60 percent more likely to be able to decipher letters). Therefore, providing information on education and institutions is not sufficient to improve the public schools. Funding for the study derived from Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, DIME.

Improving immunisation coverage in rural India: clustered randomised controlled evaluation of immunisation campaigns with and without incentives

Objective To assess the efficacy of modest non-financial incentives on immunisation rates in children aged 1-3 and to compare it with the effect of only improving the reliability of the supply of services. Design Clustered randomised controlled study. Setting Rural Rajasthan, India. Participants 1640 children aged 1-3 at end point. Interventions 134 villages were randomised to one of three groups: a once monthly reliable immunisation camp (intervention A; 379 children from 30 villages); a once monthly reliable immunisation camp with small incentives (raw lentils and metal plates for completed immunisation; intervention B; 382 children from 30 villages), or control (no intervention, 860 children in 74 villages). Surveys were undertaken in randomly selected households at baseline and about 18 months after the interventions started (end point). Main outcome measures Proportion of children aged 1-3 at the end point who were partially or fully immunised. Results Among children aged 1-3 in the end point survey, rates of full immunisation were 39% (148/382, 95% confidence interval 30% to 47%) for intervention B villages (reliable immunisation with incentives), 18% (68/379, 11% to 23%) for intervention A villages (reliable immunisation without incentives), and 6% (50/860, 3% to 9%) for control villages. The relative risk of complete immunisation for intervention B versus control was 6.7 (4.5 to 8.8) and for intervention B versus intervention A was 2.2 (1.5 to 2.8). Children in areas neighbouring intervention B villages were also more likely to be fully immunised than those from areas neighbouring intervention A villages (1.9, 1.1 to 2.8). The average cost per immunisation was

Strong Medicine: Creating Incentives for Pharmaceutical Research on Neglected Diseases

28 (1102 rupees, about £16 or €19) in intervention A and

Promoting Transparency in Social Science Research

56 (2202 rupees) in intervention B. Conclusions Improving reliability of services improves immunisation rates, but the effect remains modest. Small incentives have large positive impacts on the uptake of immunisation services in resource poor areas and are more cost effective than purely improving supply. Trial registration IRSCTN87759937.

The Challenge of Education and Learning in the Developing World

HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria are the three major killers that account for 40 percent of mortality due to infectious diseases in the world. According to The World Health Report, 2004 (WHO), approximately 2.8, 1.6, and 1.3 million people died in 2002 respectively from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Further, a larger number of newly infected people have been added every year to the total of those living with these diseases, 5 million for HIV, from 8 to 9 million for tuberculosis, and 300 to 500 million for the malaria. What is important within the context of international development is that the majority of people infected by these diseases are concentrated in low-income countries. The burden of infectious diseases is a serious issue for many people in these countries and is considered a strong impediment to economic growth. The purpose of the book is to provide practical ways of stimulating research and development (R&D) for neglected diseases, in particular the three major killers mentioned above. Although patients living in low-income countries sorely need medicines, they usually cannot afford them. R&D activity for these medicines does not seem to be taken seriously by pharmaceutical companies. Within these circumstances, the authors examine reasons for the lack of R&D as well as various systems designed to deal with the problems associated with R&D incentives and access to medicines. From their analysis, they conclude that a commitment to purchasing vaccines could develop. Regarding this issue, Lanjouw (2002) has taken the position that since the existing patent system plays such an important role in innovations, it should be reformed in order to correspond to the actual circumstances of low-income countries. Thus, there is a difference between the two relative to whether the proposal applying to this problem is a substitute for or a complement to the existing patent system. In the past five years, discussion of this issue has become quite meaningful. Reflecting the upsurge of international public opinion, and with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), WTO members agreed to institute a more flexible policy regarding medicines for the three major killers from 2001 to 2003. Developing countries now have the right to produce drugs protected by the patent holder and to grant compulsory licenses to home manufacturers through this agreement. They can also import cheaper drugs from the countries that produce copies using compulsory licenses. While no country has used these rights so far, these amendments heighten the bargaining

Chapter 61 Using Randomization in Development Economics Research: A Toolkit★

Social scientists should adopt higher transparency standards to improve the quality and credibility of research. There is growing appreciation for the advantages of experimentation in the social sciences. Policy-relevant claims that in the past were backed by theoretical arguments and inconclusive correlations are now being investigated using more credible methods. Changes have been particularly pronounced in development economics, where hundreds of randomized trials have been carried out over the last decade. When experimentation is difficult or impossible, researchers are using quasi-experimental designs. Governments and advocacy groups display a growing appetite for evidence-based policy-making. In 2005, Mexico established an independent government agency to rigorously evaluate social programs, and in 2012, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget advised federal agencies to present evidence from randomized program evaluations in budget requests (1, 2).

SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS. Promoting an open research culture.

Across many different contexts, randomized evaluations find that school participation is sensitive to costs: Reducing out-of-pocket costs, merit scholarships, and conditional cash transfers all increase schooling. Addressing child health and providing information on how earnings rise with education can increase schooling even more cost-effectively. However, among those in school, test scores are remarkably low and unresponsive to more-of-the-same inputs, such as hiring additional teachers, buying more textbooks, or providing flexible grants. In contrast, pedagogical reforms that match teaching to students’ learning levels are highly cost effective at increasing learning, as are reforms that improve accountability and incentives, such as local hiring of teachers on short-term contracts. Technology could potentially improve pedagogy and accountability. Improving pre- and postprimary education are major future challenges.

Promoting an open research culture: Author guidelines for journals could help to promote transparency, openness, and reproducibility

Abstract This paper is a practical guide (a toolkit) for researchers, students and practitioners wishing to introduce randomization as part of a research design in the field. It first covers the rationale for the use of randomization, as a solution to selection bias and a partial solution to publication biases. Second, it discusses various ways in which randomization can be practically introduced in a field settings. Third, it discusses designs issues such as sample size requirements, stratification, level of randomization and data collection methods. Fourth, it discusses how to analyze data from randomized evaluations when there are departures from the basic framework. It reviews in particular how to handle imperfect compliance and externalities. Finally, it discusses some of the issues involved in drawing general conclusions from randomized evaluations, including the necessary use of theory as a guide when designing evaluations and interpreting results.