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RCTs: Best Practices in Managing a Randomized Controlled Trial

We’re hearing about Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) a lot more since Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019. RCTs are no doubt the gold standard in proving attributable impacts caused by a development intervention.

They are a gold standard because randomization is the most unbiased method to find an ‘exchangeable’ control or comparison group where we measure what would be the outcome in absence of the programme (the counterfactual); in common parlance, this is also called obtaining ‘balance at baseline’ between treatment and control group. When the mean outcome in the control group is subtracted out from the outcome level in the treatment or intervention group, we get the attributable magnitude of impacts caused by the intervention. In RCTs, the design of the trial is the king (sample size, how to randomize, how we will measure the outcome), and not wizardry in statistical or econometric estimation!

If RCT design is the king, then the proper management and implementation of this design is the “king’s hand”. If the implementation and management are messed up, the nice theoretical properties of RCTs are compromised and the results can be invalid. Analytical solutions exist to subdue the adverse effect of non-adherence to the trial protocol, but not without compromises which might have made a non-randomized or observation evaluation a better choice in hindsight.

Read on to know the four most critical components of managing RCTs.

How to better manage RCTs

1. Stakeholder Engagement

Early discussions with stakeholders, primarily program implementers, funders, or government partners goes a long way in the successful implementation of a program.  Discuss and decide on the following:

  • start with understanding their needs, constraints, and intent for the program;
  • assess if RCT is indeed the right design for the impact evaluation. Especially, don’t push it for proving the obvious/common sense results just because RCTs are publishable;
  • anticipate and understand implementation challenges w.r.t. RCT and give options for sampling and randomization which will be least disruptive to the implementation plan, and
  • transparently discuss what RCTs can and cannot do and justify costs (sample size and measurement tools).

The above discussion is necessary to build a strong relationship and mutual trust between evaluators and key stakeholders, which eventually helps in the smooth implementation of the programme. But, this is just a start, this relationship needs to be continuously nurtured while maintaining the independence and credibility of the evaluation team; a fine balance indeed.

2. Commission Process Evaluations and Monitoring Systems

If there is no intervention, then there is no RCT!  Therefore, mechanisms to check and validate the progress of the programme are important. See if everything is working as intended and if the ‘theory of change’ is indeed working as expected, and in a rare case, whether the intervention design or implementation plans need to change. Process evaluations combined with monitoring systems are the best-suited methods for the above assessment. 

3. Check Contamination

Just as the intervention is important to the RCT so is not having the same intervention in the control group. Such contamination of control groups happens when a part of the control group opts in for the intervention or gets the intervention from some other sources (and we cannot say no). Contamination will usually underestimate the impacts of the intervention. Therefore, it is in the programmes best interest to keep a tab on the control area through periodic random sample surveys, site visits, etc.  These activities should be light touch.  Sometimes, control areas are those which will be taken up by the programme at a later phase, and hence this data can help in programming activities in future as well.

4. Always learn from Grassroot levels

Learning with someone who has worked hands-on in programme implementation is never a bad idea; so what if a person doesn’t have a Ph.D.!  Visit grass-root level implementers (with permissions of their management) to gain special insights on pathways to impact, key barriers, and enablers, beneficiary perspectives, comments on the theory of change. Trust us, you will get lots of insights that will help in better analysis and interpretation of findings. You will also be able to better assess any risk of serious deviation from RCT protocol which can put a question mark on the theoretical validity of your impact estimates.

We put these tips into practice in all evaluations we do at NEERMAN (of course subject to the funding constraints!) 

SUGGESTED: Watch this webinar recording on the Design and Management of RCTs.

We’re also happy to answer any RCT related questions if Google has failed you. Set a micro-meeting with us.

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As a Research Assistant, Alron provides support on projects, proposals, data analysis, ideation. He has over two years of experience in MIS, economic analyses, and policy research writing. He is passionate about migration-refugee crisis, decoding and mitigating disinformation mechanisms, and has written extensively on these topics, among others.

Alron holds a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Mumbai and is currently pursuing a Diploma in International Affairs.

As a Research Assistant, Alron provides support on projects, proposals, data analysis, ideation. He has over two years of experience in MIS, economic analyses, and policy research writing. He is passionate about migration-refugee crisis, decoding and mitigating disinformation mechanisms, and has written extensively on these topics, among others.

Alron holds a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Mumbai and is currently pursuing a Diploma in International Affairs.

Hrishikesh works as a Research Assistant at NEERMAN where he applies his skills to the development of impact assessment. Apart from this, he volunteers his time by working for various projects and activities associated with the Rotaract.

He holds a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Mumbai.

Anshuman manages our survey research and data division. He leads a critical position that ensures researchers need for quality data are met on time and within budget.

He has an MPhil in Population Studies from IIPS, Mumbai and a Master’s degree in Population Education and Rural Development from the University of Lucknow. Prior to joining NEERMAN, he worked with UNICEF (UP) and IIPS.

Rupam is working as a Senior Research Associate at NEERMAN. She has over 4 years of work experience in social/ development sector. Her area of interest is in domains like population and development, maternal and child nutrition, education, reproductive and child health, gender issues, transgender study etc. She holds her Master's degree in Population Studies from International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS, Mumbai) and Bachelor’s from University of Delhi.

Anil has more than 25 years of experience in the area of data management and analysis. Previously he has worked with Nielsen India Pvt. Ltd. He is adept in facilitating operations for projects using CSPro (Version 7.6) Data Entry package and analysis of data using statistical package for social science (SPSS). He has proven ability in maintaining large databases and conducting field training of CAPI related aspects.

Free or highly subsidized power for farm irrigation has been a cornerstone of India’s agricultural policy since the 1970s, but it also results in high subsidies, technical and commercial losses, and ultimately poor service to the consumers.  Government of India is investing billions to separate feeders that supply power to farmers from other consumers for better regulation, measurement and quality of supply. However, no robust evidence was available on whether and how these infrastructure improvements benefit the end consumers.  NEERMAN in partnership with Asian Development Bank and Central Discom Madhya Pradesh undertook an impact evaluation of the Feeder Separation Project in Madhya Pradesh. The study proved that feeder separation benefit farm and non-farm consumers by decreasing power theft, increasing coverage of electrical connections, reducing irrigation, and reducing the use of diesel.

Read the study results in this published manuscript (paid access) or the summary in our blogs.

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Non Research Aspects of Research in India

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Randomised Controlled Trial – Concepts, Designs, and Implementation

Dr. Sumeet Patil - Founder and Research Director at NEERMAN - has covered the following key points:
▪️ The concept of 'causality' and why RCTs are theoretically best suited to prove causality
▪️ Differences in random sampling and randomization
▪️ Various design options for RCTs in social sciences
▪️ Ethics of RCTs
▪️ Practical insights into the planning and management of RCTs.

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Relevance of Evaluation in Developmental Change

In this video, Dr Milindo Chakrabarti - a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, and a Professor and Associate Dean at Jindal School Of Government and Public Policy - has covered the following key points:
▪️ What is evaluation?
▪️ Why evaluation matters?
▪️ How evaluation contributes to developmental change?

This video will also clarify your doubts about:
▪️ The concept of evaluation and why their importance is magnifying each passing day
▪️ How is evaluation different from monitoring
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      Pritesh is the backbone of the data processing and analytics division at NEERMAN and is responsible for data reporting, CAPI Design, STATE and ODK work in close collaboration with the Senior Data Manager. He also manages teams of assistants for data processing and QAQC. Pritesh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai.

      Vishal contributes to every phase of the project life cycle — from design, implementation, to report-making. With his sharp analytical skills and background in Econometrics, he regularly conducts data analysis on Excel and STATA. He has previously worked on a Health Impact Evaluation project and successfully carried out cost-effectiveness analyses using tools like Impact2 and LiST.

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