
Failing in the Field
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All across the social sciences, from development economics to political science departments, researchers are going into the field to collect data and learn about the world. While much has been gained from the successes of randomized controlled trials, stories of failed projects often do not get told. In Failing in the Field, Dean Karlan and Jacob Appel delve into the common causes of failure in field research, so that researchers might avoid similar pitfalls in future work.
Drawing on the experiences of top social scientists working in developing countries, this book delves into failed projects and helps guide practitioners as they embark on their research. From experimental design and implementation to analysis and partnership agreements, Karlan and Appel show that there are important lessons to be learned from failures at every stage. They describe five common categories of failures, review six case studies in detail, and conclude with some reflections on best (and worst) practices for designing and running field projects, with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials. There is much to be gained from investigating what has previously not worked, from misunderstandings by staff to errors in data collection.
Cracking open the taboo subject of the stumbles that can take place in the implementation of research studies, Failing in the Field is a valuable "how-not-to" handbook for conducting fieldwork and running randomized controlled trials in development settings.
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Content
Part I Leading Causes of Research Failures 17
1 Inappropriate Research Setting 19
2 Technical Design Flaws 29
3 Partner Organization Challenges 40
4 Survey and Measurement Execution Problems 51
5 Low Participation Rates 62
Part II Case Studies 71
6 Credit and Financial Literacy Training: No Delivery Means No Impact 73
7 Interest Rate Sensitivity: Ignoring the Elephant in the Room 84
8 Youth Savings: Real Money Drumming up Fake People 94
9 Poultry Loans: Trying to Fly without a Pilot 105
10 Child Health and Business Training with Credit: No Such Thing as a Simple Study 114
11 Bundling Credit and Insurance: Turns Out More Is Less 125
Conclusion 133
Appendix | Checklist for Avoiding Failures 138
Acknowledgments 147
Notes 149
Bibliography 153
Index 157
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File format: ePUB
Copy protection: Watermark-DRM (Digital Rights Management)
System requirements:
- Computer (Windows; MacOS X; Linux): Use a reading software that can process the file format ePUB: e.g., Adobe Digital Editions or FBReader – both free (see eBook Help).
- Tablet/Smartphone (Android; iOS): Before downloading, install the free app Adobe Digital Editions (see eBook Help).
- E-reader: Bookeen, Kobo, Pocketbook, Sony, Tolino and many more (not Kindle).
The file format ePUB works well for novels and non-fiction books – i.e., „flowing” text without complex layout. On an e-reader or smartphone, line and page breaks automatically adjust to fit the small displays.
This eBook uses Watermark-DRM, a „soft” copy protection. This means that there are no technical restrictions to prevent illegal distribution. However, there is a personalised watermark embedded in the eBook that can be used to identify the purchaser of the eBook in the event of misuse and to provide evidence for legal purposes.
For more information, see our eBook Help page.