Randomized Control Trials. Aligning Theory and Implementation to Fight Poverty

Seminar paper from the year 2022 in the subject Economics - History, grade: 1,0, Humboldt-University of Berlin, language: English, abstract: This paper seeks to answer in which ways Esther Duflo contributed to the history of economic thought and whether she really has revolutionized the scientific landscape. To answer the question, the first step is to outline the general framework. For this purpose, I will provide an overview of Duflo's biographical career. In the following, I will discuss the method of RCTs and the historical progression of RCTs from the medical field to the social sciences and further explain the methodology itself. Afterwards, possible advantages and disadvantages of RCTs will be examined. In order to assess Duflo's concrete work and her influence on development economics in closer detail, the methodology of RCTs will be illustrated by the discussion of some of her works. Finally, I will evaluate her contribution to the history of economic thought within the field of development economics.