Published January 3, 2014 | Version Accepted Version
Journal Article Open

Promoting Transparency in Social Science Research

  • 1. ROR icon University of California, Berkeley
  • 2. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 3. ROR icon Stanford University
  • 4. ROR icon University of California, Riverside
  • 5. ROR icon Yale University
  • 6. ROR icon Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 7. ROR icon Columbia University
  • 8. ROR icon University of Virginia
  • 9. ROR icon Center for Open Science
  • 10. ROR icon University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

There is growing appreciation for the advantages of experimentation in the social sciences. Policy-relevant claims that in the past were backed by theoretical arguments and inconclusive correlations are now being investigated using more credible methods. Changes have been particularly pronounced in development economics, where hundreds of randomized trials have been carried out over the last decade. When experimentation is difficult or impossible, researchers are using quasi-experimental designs. Governments and advocacy groups display a growing appetite for evidence-based policy-making. In 2005, Mexico established an independent government agency to rigorously evaluate social programs, and in 2012, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget advised federal agencies to present evidence from randomized program evaluations in budget requests (1, 2).

Additional Information

© 2014 American Association for the Advancement of Science. We thank C. Christiano, M. Kremer, G. Kroll, J. Wang, and seminar participants for comments.

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Additional details

Identifiers

PMCID
PMC4103621
Eprint ID
43540
DOI
10.1126/science.1245317
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:20140128-134638275

Dates

Created
2014-01-29
Created from EPrint's datestamp field
Updated
2021-11-10
Created from EPrint's last_modified field