article by Michael Kremer and Edward Miguel
This article on the Millennium Villages Project controversy has been assigned as part of a discussion on causal inference for the CDE spring elective, Program Evaluation.
Abstract:
The Millennium Villages Project is a high profile, multi-country development project that has aimed to serve as a model for ending rural poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. The project became the subject of controversy when the methodological basis of early claims of success was questioned. The lively ensuing debate offers lessons on three recent mini-revolutions that have swept the field of development economics: the rising standards of evidence for measuring impact, the “open data” movement, and the growing role of the blogosphere in research debates.
In this paper, Michael Clemens and Gabriel Demombynes discuss how a new transparency is changing the debate about what works.
Citation:
Clemens, M. A. and G. Demombynes (2013). "The New Transparency in Development Economics: Lessons from the Millennium Villages Controversy." Center for Global Development Working Paper No. 342.