Random theories

Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen ducks a question from PDS activist Nikhil Dey

At a meeting at New Delhi’s India International Centre this week, which was being moderated by Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen, the well-known Princeton economist Angus Deaton launched a devastating attack on the process of randomised evaluation trials that the policy-making community has picked up from medicine and public health. Afterwards, when Sen asked for questions from the floor, a voice spoke from the back: “Now that the Planning Commission is aware of errors in such trials, can we be assured that the future of the public distribution system (PDS) will not be held hostage to them?” All heads turned and saw it was activist Nikhil Dey, who is fighting a battle to preserve PDS against the threat of cash vouchers that are the subject of randomised trials in several states. Sen chose to smile into his beard and duck the question.