Last week, the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to three worthy development economists, including partners in life and work Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Their study of poverty alleviation, with heavy reliance on randomized control trials, has helped to bring more scientific discipline to a cause historically clouded by politics, dogma, and good intentions.

As deserving as this recognition is, however, even Banerjee has cautioned against overgeneralizing their findings. The randomized control trial fieldwork he and Duflo led in India helped shed light on how to get teachers to show up for school, a key ingredient for achieving better educational outcomes for low-income populations.