Gil Eyal sends along this fascinating paper coauthored with Luciana de Souza Leão, “The rise of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in international development in historical perspective.” Here’s the story:
Continue reading “The rise and fall and rise of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in international development”Category: General reactions
Post covers a topic that is relevant at any time
Ten weeks and Statistics semantics
Ten weeks, ten posts. It seems like a good time for blog editor reflection.
Continue reading “Ten weeks and Statistics semantics”Queues instead of parades
Crisp morning air, a final round of barbeques, the closing of outdoor pools. Labor Day, the first Monday of September, unofficially signifies the end of summer in the US and officially celebrates the American worker. But what does this labor-centric holiday mean during a global pandemic?
Continue reading “Queues instead of parades”A double lock-down in Palestine
The Palestinian economy is vulnerable. It has been exposed to a series of ongoing shocks that have weakened its ability to be resilient against internal and external crises, like the pandemic. Official statistics are crucial to understanding the effects of such crises on vulnerable sectors of the population.
Continue reading “A double lock-down in Palestine”On science, uncertainty, the atomic bomb, and covid-19
To be conservative in one’s assumptions is a much-celebrated virtue in science, but the term carries an ambiguity that deserves highlighting.
Continue reading “On science, uncertainty, the atomic bomb, and covid-19”From no-vax to no-mask: When a cognitive bias blinds us
The scientific foundation of the the so-called no-vax campaign is obscure at best, the result of beliefs not supported by empirical evidence.
Continue reading “From no-vax to no-mask: When a cognitive bias blinds us”Why headlines and science progress don’t go well together
I really don’t think the detailed progress of science is suitable for the news cycle. News is about something unexpected that just happened; science is a slow buildup of studies and understanding.
Continue reading “Why headlines and science progress don’t go well together”The battle over the pandemic data
The Covid19 pandemic is a major concern throughout the world and Brazil is at the top of the sad list of countries most affected. At the same time, serious concerns have surfaced from various sectors of the Brazilian society regarding the disclosure of official data on the state of the pandemic.
Continue reading “The battle over the pandemic data”Sharing statistical thinking – an essential skill for reading the news
This blog was born at the end of March 2020, when the news was full of data and statisticians all over the world were busy reading it.
Continue reading “Sharing statistical thinking – an essential skill for reading the news”