The No-Spin Evidence Review
We summarize recent program evaluations and explain what the evidence really shows. More >
Latest No-Spin Evidence Report
NBER (April 2025) posted a quasi-experimental study of the effects of state Medicaid expansions on the mortality of low-income adults. Despite the study abstract’s claims of a 2.5% reduction in mortality (covered in NY Times and elsewhere), the study found much smaller mortality effects that fell short of statistical significance in its main preregistered analysis.
What We Do
We provide plain-language, no-spin summaries of recent research findings about “what works” in social spending. We also highlight a common problem in research reporting: Study abstracts too often portray programs as effective when the study’s results don’t support such claims.
We focus on abstracts because of their central importance in research communication. Many readers rely on abstracts for the main study take-aways (due to time constraints or paywalls on full-report access) and, in our experience, abstracts’ exaggerated claims lead to widespread over-labeling of programs as “evidence based” and, in some cases, the expansion of ineffective programs.
We mainly report on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) because, when feasible and well-conducted, they're considered the strongest method of evaluating program effectiveness.
Our target audience is policy officials, program providers, researchers, and others who wish to keep abreast of the latest rigorous research findings – as well as the researchers, journal editors, and peer reviewers who have it within their power to ensure accurate study reporting.
Learn more about our review process.
