As far as I can tell, that type of RCT indeed is not being done. I don’t know much about research on SMC specifically, but Givewell reports the following quote of Christian Lengeler, author of Cochrane Review of insecticide-treated bed nets:
To the best of my knowledge there have been no more RCTs with treated nets. There is a very strong consensus that it would not be ethical to do any more. I don’t think any committee in the world would grant permission to do such a trial.
That’s fascinating, the norm is extremely different in economics and I have never heard of this norm. What is the boundary between a necessary replication and something that would be considered unethical?
Yes, absolutely.
As far as I can tell, that type of RCT indeed is not being done. I don’t know much about research on SMC specifically, but Givewell reports the following quote of Christian Lengeler, author of Cochrane Review of insecticide-treated bed nets:
That’s fascinating, the norm is extremely different in economics and I have never heard of this norm. What is the boundary between a necessary replication and something that would be considered unethical?