Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Changed Our World

Description

In the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell, Randomistas is a brilliant and entertaining exploration of a hidden but vital foundation of modern life. 'The subject of this book could hardly be more vital- are we humble enough to admit we may be wrong, and do we care enough to learn? Randomistas is rigorous, impassioned and tremendous fun. Everyone should read it' - Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist Randomised test are carried out on us every day- by supermarkets, search engines, online dating sites, political parties and direct marketers. but how do these tests work? Are there any ethical issues? And what do they reveal about our choices? In Randomistas, Andrew Leigh tells the stories of radical researchers who overturned conventional wisdom in medicine, politics, business, law enforcement and more. From finding the cure to scurvy to discovering what policies really improve literacy rates, randomistas have shaped life as we know it - but they often had to fight to conduct their trials and have their findings implemented.

Andrew Leigh is the federal member for Fenner and the Shadow Assistant Treasurer. Before being elected in 2010, he was a professor of economics at the Australian National University. His books include Disconnected (2010), Battlers and Billionaires (2013), The Economics of Just About Everything (2014) and The Luck of Politics (2015).