Stephen Dubner

Once you peer inside these failure buckets that List and Susskind describe, it's not so surprising that so many good ideas fail to scale up. So what do they propose that could help?

And how often is that already happening in the real world of, let's say, education reform research? I can't name one. Wow. How about in the realm of medical compliance research?

And how often is that already happening in the real world of, let's say, education reform research? I can't name one. Wow. How about in the realm of medical compliance research?

And how often is that already happening in the real world of, let's say, education reform research? I can't name one. Wow. How about in the realm of medical compliance research?

So that suggests that policymakers or decision makers, they are being what? over-eager, premature in accepting a finding that looks good to them and want to rush it into play? Or is it that the researchers are overconfident themselves or maybe pushing this research too hard? Where is this failure really happening?

So that suggests that policymakers or decision makers, they are being what? over-eager, premature in accepting a finding that looks good to them and want to rush it into play? Or is it that the researchers are overconfident themselves or maybe pushing this research too hard? Where is this failure really happening?

So that suggests that policymakers or decision makers, they are being what? over-eager, premature in accepting a finding that looks good to them and want to rush it into play? Or is it that the researchers are overconfident themselves or maybe pushing this research too hard? Where is this failure really happening?

After the break, how can researchers make sure that the science they are replicating works when it scales up? Before the break, we were talking with the University of Chicago economist John List about the challenges of turning good research into good policy. One challenge is making sure that the research findings are in fact robust enough to scale up.

After the break, how can researchers make sure that the science they are replicating works when it scales up? Before the break, we were talking with the University of Chicago economist John List about the challenges of turning good research into good policy. One challenge is making sure that the research findings are in fact robust enough to scale up.

After the break, how can researchers make sure that the science they are replicating works when it scales up? Before the break, we were talking with the University of Chicago economist John List about the challenges of turning good research into good policy. One challenge is making sure that the research findings are in fact robust enough to scale up.

This is the dreaded voltage drop that implementation scientists talk about.

This is the dreaded voltage drop that implementation scientists talk about.

This is the dreaded voltage drop that implementation scientists talk about.

Fidelity meaning that the scaled-up program reflects the integrity of the original program.

Fidelity meaning that the scaled-up program reflects the integrity of the original program.

Fidelity meaning that the scaled-up program reflects the integrity of the original program.

Remember, it was Chamberlain's good outcomes with young people in foster care that made federal officials want to scale up her program in the first place.

Remember, it was Chamberlain's good outcomes with young people in foster care that made federal officials want to scale up her program in the first place.

Remember, it was Chamberlain's good outcomes with young people in foster care that made federal officials want to scale up her program in the first place.

She found the scaling up initially very challenging.