Social experiments to fight poverty

2009 MacArthur fellow Esther Duflo argues that experiments, using randomized controlled trials, are essential to the eradication of poverty in this Ted Talk.

Duflo describes the use of experiments as revolutionising the field of medicine – and advocates for their use to improve social science interventions. Duflo outlines how experiments can provide policymakers with a range of options. Policymakers want to know, "Out of all of the things I could do, what is the best way to achieve my goals?". Duflo argues that experiments can help answer simple and specific questions, for example: "Is it better to give bednets for free or make people pay in order to reduce malaria in under 5s (the leading cause of child mortality in Africa)?"