by Andrew Leigh
Pare, Ambroise, and soldiers’ gunpowder burns 22–3
parenting programs 68–9
and Chicago ‘Parent Academy’ 9
and Incredible Years Basic Parenting Programme 69
and randomised evaluations 70
‘Triple P’ positive parenting program 68–9
‘partial equilibrium’ effect 191
Peirce, Charles Sanders 49–51
Perry, Rick 150–1
Perry Preschool 66–8, 71, 169, 191–2
see also David Weikart; Evelyn Moore
‘P-hacking’ 195–6
Piaget, Jean 66
Pinker, Stephen 177
placebo effect 10, 29–31, 34, 138, 192
and John Haygarth 23–4
placebo surgery 18–21
see also sham surgery
Planet Money 103
policing programs 91–4, 209
‘broken windows policing’ 209
and ‘hot spots’ policing 93
and ‘problem oriented policing’ 94
and randomised evaluations 94
see also criminal justice experiments; Lawrence Sherman; Patrick Murphy; Rudi Lammers
political campaign strategies
and Benin political campaign 160
and control groups 148, 155
and ‘deep canvassing’ 163–4
and Harold Gosnell 148–50
and lobbying in US 162
and online campaigning 154–5
and political speeches 160–1
and ‘robocalls’ 152
and Sierra Leone election debates 161
and use of ‘social pressure’ 151–2
see also Get Out the Vote
Pope Benedict XVI 119
‘power of free’ theory 112
pragmatism 50
see also Charles Sanders Pierce
‘problem oriented policing’ 94
Programme for International Student Assessment 73
Progresa Mexico 117–18
see also President Ernesto Zedillo
Project Independence 60–1
see also Ben Graber; Judith Gueron; Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC)
Project STAR experiment 81
Promise Academy 78–9
Prospera Mexico 118
psychology experiments 50–1, 143, 170, 177, 196
see also Charles Sanders Pierce; Joseph Jastrow
‘publication bias’ 199
Pyrotron 14–15
see also Andrew Sullivan
Quintanar, Maricela 38–40
Quora 131
RAND Health Insurance Experiment 41, 169
randomised auditing 174–5
randomised trials
see also A/B testing
and ‘anchoring’ effect 133
and the book of Daniel 22
and Community Led Sanitation 116
and control groups 13, 67–8, 74, 78, 82
and data collection 171–2
and the driving licence experiment 109
and the ‘experimental idea’ 194
fairness of 37, 100, 177, 185
and ‘fixed mindset’ 6
and ‘general equilibrium’ effect 191
and the ‘gold standard’ 194
and ‘growth mindset’ 6
and ‘healthy cohort’ effect 12
and Highest Paid Person’s Opinion (HiPPO) 6
and Kenyan mini-bus driver experiments 115–16
and ‘natural experiments’ 193
and N-of-1 168–9
and the No Child Left Behind Act 210
and ‘the paradox of choice’ 195
and ‘partial equilibrium’ effect 191
and ‘publication bias’ 199
and replication of 90, 124, 195, 197–8
and sex education 119–20
and single-centre trials 197
and ‘virginity pledges’ in the US 46–7
randomistas, Angus Deaton Nobel laureate on 12
Read India 188
see also Rukmini Banerji
Reagan, President Ronald 59, 151
Registry for International Development Impact Evaluations 199
replication 90, 195, 197–8
‘restorative justice conferencing’ 84
restorative justice experiments 85–6, 182
Results for America 211
Rhinehart, Luke, and The Dice Man 180
Roach, William 52
‘robocalls’ 152
Romney, Mitt 147
Rossi, Peter 190
‘Rossi’s Law’ 190, 206
Rothamsted Experimental Centre 53
Rudder, Christian 130
see also OkCupid
Sachs, Jeffrey 121
Sackett, David 27, 206
Sacred Heart Mission 36
Salk, Jonas 168
Salvation Army’s ‘Red Kettle Christmas drive 157
Sandburg, Sheryl 144
Saut, Fabiola Vasquez 110
see also Acayucan road experiment
‘scaling proven success,’ and ‘Development Innovation Ventures’ 210
Scared Straight 7–8, 94, 98–9, 189
see also Danny Glover; James Finckenauer
Schmidt, Eric, and Google 143
Schwarzenegger, Arnold 75, 173
Science 163
‘Science of Philanthropy Initiative’ 159
scurvy treatment trials 3–5, 16
see also Gilbert Blane; James Cook; James Lind; William Stark
Second Chance Act 210
Seeger, Pete, and ‘The Draft Dodger Rag’ 42
Semelweiss, Ignaz 25
Sesame Street 63–5, 83
see also Joan Cooney
sex education 119–20
sham surgery trials 19–20, 182
and ‘clinical equipoise’ 21
Sherman, Lawrence 91–4, 101
‘Shoes for Better Tomorrows’ (TOMS) 113–15
see also Blake Mycoskie; Bruce Wydick
Sierra Leone election debates 161 see also Saa Badabla
SimCalc, and online learning tools 77
‘single subject’ trials 168–9
see also N-of-1
Siroker, Dan 148
Sliding Doors 9
Smile Train aid charity, and ‘once and done’ campaign 158
social experiments large-scale 41
social field experiments
and control groups 37, 39–41, 139
and credit card upgrades 132–3
and pay rates 136–7
and retail discounts 133
and ‘split cable’ techniques 139–40
and Western Union money transfers 130
social program trials
and Kenyan electricity trial 110
and smoking deterrents 47–8
see also Acayucan road experiment; neighbourhood project
social service agencies 36, 69
‘soft targeting’ 36
‘split cable’ technique 139–40
St. Petersburg Times 60
Stark, William 16
Stewart, Matthew, and The Management Myth 138
Stigler, Stephen 50
Street Narcotics Unit experiment 92–3
streptomycin trial 56
see also Austin Bradford Hill
Sullivan, Andrew, and Pyrotron 14
Suskind, Dana 70
Syed, Matthew 142
teacher payment trial 111
see also Karthik Muralidharan
Telford, Dick 201–2
text messages, and use of 9, 78, 82, 123, 154
textbook trial 123–4
see also Karthik Muralidharan
The Battered Women’s Movement 89
the book of Daniel 22
‘the brevia’ and ‘the scrutiny’ 181
the ‘gold standard’ 194
The Lancet 24, 55, 120
The Matrix 30
‘the parado
x of choice’ 195
the placebo effect see placebo effect
‘the Super Bowl impossibility theorem’ 140
Thirty Million Words initiative 79–80
‘three strikes’ law’ 99, 101
‘Triple P’ positive parenting program 68–9
‘True Love Waits’ program 47
Trump campaign 154
Tseng, Yi-Ping 37 see also ‘Journey to Social Inclusion’
UK Department for International Development 103
unemployment 36, 44–6, 78, 103
see also German government unemployment incentive; job training programs; ‘universal basic income’
‘universal basic income’ 46
University of Chicago, and ‘Science of Philanthropy Initiative’ 159
University of London 54
University of Queensland, and ‘Triple P’ positive parenting program 68
University of Wollongong 187
US Agency for International Development 103, 210
US Behavioural Insights Team 186
see also Elizabeth Linos
US Congressional Budget Office 194
US National Academy panel 100
US Police Foundation 89
‘verbal bombardment’ and Perry Preschool 67
Vienna General Hospital 24–5
see also Ignaz Semmelweis
Vietnam war draft 42–3
Virgin Atlantic Airways 136
‘virginity pledges’ in the US 46–7
Wagner, Dan 159
Waiting for Superman 79
Washington Post 7
Washington Times 60
Weikart, David 66–7, 71
West Heidelberg centre 71
What Works Clearinghouse 76–7, 208
Western Union 130
Wilson, James 184–5
Wootton, David 26, 203–4
and Bad Medicine 26
World Bank 103, 111
World Health Organization 112–13, 115, 199
World Medical Association 186
Wydick, Bruce 114–15
Yale University, and Innovations for Poverty Action 123
YouWiN! 102–3, 106
see also David McKenzie; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Yunus, Muhammad 105
Zedillo, President Ernesto 117
see also Progresa Mexico