Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the best way of determining whether a policy is working. They have been used for over 60 years to compare the effectiveness of new medicines. RCTs are increasingly used in international development to compare the cost effectiveness of different interventions for tackling poverty. And they are also employed extensively by companies, who want to know which website layout generates more sales. However, they are not yet common practice in most areas of public policy. This paper argues that we should and could use RCTs much more extensively in domestic public policy to test the effectiveness of new and existing interventions and variations thereof; to learn what is working and what is not; and to adapt our policies so that they steadily improve and evolve both in terms of quality and effectiveness. (Author/publisher)
Abstract