The promise of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is that evidence gathered through the evaluation of a specific program helps us — possibly after several rounds of fine-tuning and multiple replications in different contexts — to inform policy. However, critics have pointed out that a...

In collaboration with the Government of Bihar, India, we conducted a large-scale experiment to evaluate whether transparency in fiscal transfer systems can increase accountability and reduce corruption in the implementation of a workfare program. The reforms introduced electronic fund-flow, cut...