FOI Seminar 8 December 2011

Ole Dahl
(University of Southern Denmark):

 

Walking the talk: the need for a trial registry for development interventions

(Contact: ) 

 

Thursday 8 December 2011, 12.00-13.00, B.S. Jørgensen seminar room (Building A, first floor) Note time and day!

Abstract:

Recent advances in the use of randomised control trials to evaluate the effect of development interventions promise to enhance our knowledge of what works and why. A core argument supporting randomised studies is the claim that they have high internal validity. The authors argue that this claim is weak as long as a trial registry of development interventions is not in place. Without a trial registry, the possibilities for data mining, created by analyses of multiple outcomes and subgroups, undermine internal validity. Drawing on experience from evidence-based medicine and recent examples from microfinance, they argue that a trial registry would also enhance external validity and foster innovative research.