In the early 90s, when a young economist named Michael Kremer finished his PhD, there had been a few economic studies based on randomized trials. But they were rare. In part because randomized trials – in which you recruit two statistically identical groups, choose one of them to get a treatment, and then compare what happens to each group – are expensive, and they take a lot of time.
But then, by chance, Michael had the opportunity to run a randomized trial in Busia, Kenya. He helped a nonprofit test whether the aid they were giving to local schools helped the students. That study paved the way for more randomized trials, and for other economists to use the method.
On today's show, how Busia, Kenya, became the place where economists pioneered a more scientific way to study huge problems, from contaminated water to low graduation rates, to HIV transmission. And how that research changed government programs and aid efforts around the world.
This episode was produced by James Sneed with help from Willa Rubin. It was engineered by James Willetts. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Molly Messick. Jess Jiang is our acting executive producer.
Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR One or anywhere you get podcasts.
Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Music: "Smoke and Mirrors," "Slowmotio," and "Icy Boy."
2024-12-26 01:442439 view
2024-12-26 01:172076 view
2024-12-26 01:06176 view
2024-12-26 00:552065 view
2024-12-26 00:171891 view
2024-12-25 23:502916 view
Taylor Swift's honorary sister-in-law Kylie Kelce has already started to see massive success with he
In a new series, USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives. We're kicking
The National Christmas Tree in front of the White House is standing upright again after gusty winds