How to Read Economics Research Papers: Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

- [Narrator] On his quest
to master econometrics,

Grasshopper Kamal has
made great progress

stretching his capabilities
and outsmarting his foes.

Alas, today he's despondent.

For one challenge remains unmet.

Kamal cannot yet decode
the scriptures of academic research,

journals like
"The American Economic Review"

and "Econometrica."

These seemed to him to be inscribed
in an obscure foreign tongue.

- [Kamal] Ugh, what the... ?

- [Narrator] These volumes are
opaque to novice, Kamal,

but can be deciphered with study.

Let us learn to read them together.

Let's dive into the West Point study,

published in the "Economics
of Education Review."

This paper reports
on a randomized evaluation

of student electronics use
in Economics 101 classrooms.

First, a quick review
of the research design.

- Okay.

- [Josh] 'Metrics masters
teaching at West Point,

the military college that trains
American Army officers

designed a randomized trial
to answer this question.

These masters randomly assigned
West Point cadets

into Economics classes
operating under different rules.

Unlike most American colleges,

the West Point default
is no electronics.

For purposes of this experiment,
some students were left

in such traditional
technology-free classes,

no lap tops, no tablets
and no phones!

[voice echoes]

This is the control group,
or baseline case.

Another group was allowed
to use electronics.

This is the treatment group,
subject to a changed environment.

The treatment in this case
is the unrestricted use

of laptops or tablets in class.

Every causal question
has a clear outcome,

the variables we hope to influence
defined in advance of the study.