David McKenzie

David McKenzie is the World Bank economist in Piles of cash and a town of solutions in Kenya, Nigeria (Summer School) who suggested randomizing many [[YouWinProgram|YouWin Program]] winners after applications had been screened. The episode presents this as a design move that reduced discretion and made the program easier to evaluate.

McKenzie’s role connects Direct Entrepreneur Grants to Randomized Controlled Trials. Instead of only asking whether judges could identify the best entrepreneurs, the program created comparable winner and non-winner groups that later supported job-creation estimates.

Connections

• Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Goodluck Jonathan - policy setting.
• Small Business Financing Gap and Missing Middle - entrepreneurship problem being tested.
• Evidence-Based Development Policy - broader evidence and policy frame.