A Lot to Lose: A Call to Rethink What Constitutes “Evidence” in Finding Social Interventions that Work

This paper argues that experimental methodology is a poor fit for judging the impact of social intervention program models; the authors identify the risks inherent in the continued privileging of experimental designs over all others, and offer a set of starting points for rethinking evaluation to ensure greater accountability without reducing the chances that those who need help the most will have access to programs that support meaningful, lasting change.