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The Success of Randomized Controlled Trials: A Sociographical Study of the Rise of J-PAL to Scientific Excellence and Influence
Der Erfolg randomisierter kontrollierter Studien: Eine soziografische Studie des Aufstiegs von J-PAL zu wissenschaftlicher Exzellenz und wissenschaftlichem Einfluss
[journal article]
Abstract Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are a method to assess impact that has become increasingly popular over the last fifteen years, particularly as a result of the work done by Esther Duflo and her Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), an or-ganization devoted to the promotion of randomization. This article a... view more
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are a method to assess impact that has become increasingly popular over the last fifteen years, particularly as a result of the work done by Esther Duflo and her Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), an or-ganization devoted to the promotion of randomization. This article aims to explore and understand this success by using an in-depth sociographical study of the J-PAL and a network analysis of economists who use RCT. J-PAL appears to be a concentration of educational and academic capital that give great legitimacy to the RCT method. The network is controlled by certain leaders who are able to diffuse the J-PAL approach to RCTs. Furthermore, this article argues that it is necessary to go beyond the intrinsic quality of this method to explain how it became so popular.... view less
Keywords
economics; job history; cultural capital; data collection method; scientific scene; sociography; social capital; elite formation; methodology; random sample; executive; social network; elite; occupational prestige; economist; course of academic studies; network analysis; occupational status
Classification
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods
Basic Research, General Concepts and History of Economics
Free Keywords
Multiple Correspondence Analysis; MCA; Randomization; geometrical data analysis; prosopography; hierarchical classification; network analysis; sociology of economists
Document language
English
Publication Year
2018
Page/Pages
p. 94-119
Journal
Historical Social Research, 43 (2018) 3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.43.2018.3.94-119
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed