Why $3bn school grants and other well-meant policies changed nothing (opens the source in a new tab)
- Adam Mastroianni lists programmes that showed no measurable effect: $3 billion of US school grants in 2009, a 10-year trial of laptops for children across 531 Peruvian schools, and counselling meant to strengthen low-income families.
- Even a $100 million gift that made NYU's main medical school tuition-free left its students and their specialty choices unchanged, though applications rose 47%.
- His tongue-in-cheek fix: a goat-sacrifice ritual before any big policy, to force humility about how little we know about changing behaviour, while still testing and trying.
- $3bn
- school grants, no effect
- 47%
- more NYU applicants, same mix
Why it matters Before backing a policy or a charity, ask what evidence shows it changes behaviour, not what it intends. Spending money is easy; measured change is rare.
Other side Null results can reflect weak measurement or short time frames, and the author concedes some programmes work in some places. Giving up on reform would be the bigger mistake.