Introduction to Randomised Evaluations

A Randomized Evaluation is a type of Impact Evaluation that uses random assignment to allocate resources, run programmes, or apply policies as part of the study design. Like all impact evaluations, the main purpose of randomised evaluations is to determine whether a program has an impact, and more specifically, to quantify how large that impact is. Impact evaluations measure program effectiveness typically by comparing outcomes of those (individuals, communities, schools, etc.) who received the program against those who did not. There are many methods of doing this. But randomized evaluations are generally considered the most rigorous and, all else equal, produce the most accurate (i.e. unbiased) results.

The methodology section covers the what, why, who, when and how of randomized evaluations.