Randomistas

Andrew Leigh is Australia’s shadow assistant treasurer, an Australian MP and a former economics professor at the Australian National University. He discusses the methods and positive results of randomized trials. Randomized trials, he asserts, increase knowledge and improve outcomes. Big data can contribute more information more cheaply, which would simplify trials. As randomized trials revolutionized medicine in the 20th century, Leigh believes they can revolutionize social policy in the 21st.

His treatise drew wide-ranging praise. Steven Levitt, the author of Freakonomics, said of Leigh’s work, “Packed with tantalizing tales, Randomistas is essential reading for anyone interested in debunking myths and uncovering hidden truths.” Publishers Weekly wrote, “Leigh finds that randomized trials have challenged assumptions in many fields, from social welfare policy to retail marketing strategies.”