| Session Title: Fighting Poverty: What Works? Running Randomized Evaluations of Poverty Programs in Developing Countries |
| Expert Lecture Session 713 to be held in Peale Room on Saturday, November 10, 9:35 AM to 10:20 AM |
| Sponsored by the Costs, Effectiveness, Benefits, and Economics TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Rachel Glennerster, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, rglenner@mit.edu |
| Abstract: Should limited education budgets in the developing world be spent on textbooks, teachers, or smaller classes? Should scarce health resources be spent on more doctors of basic sanitation? Policymakers lack the evidence they need to tackle these dilemmas. Researchers at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT (J-PAL) are seeking to improve the effectiveness of poverty programs by providing rigorous evidence on what works in reducing poverty by implementing randomized evaluations around the world. Dr. Rachel Glennerster, Executive Director of J-PAL will talk about how to overcome the challenges of running rigorous randomized evaluations in developing countries. She will discuss ways to introduce elements of randomization into programs in ways that fit naturally with the work of those running poverty programs on the ground. She will also discuss the techniques used by J-PAL researchers to rigorously measure issues such as women's empowerment, social capital, and trust. |