Is it fair to say that most social programmes don't work?

Abstract

Most social programs and services have not yet been formally evaluated, and amongst those that have, the majority (possibly 75% or more) have small or no effects, and occasionally negative effects. Randomized controlled trials indicate that individual projects mostly don’t work but whole areas of social intervention often do have a positive impact. There is a significant difference in effectiveness among interventions within an area and across different areas. Focusing on evidence-based approaches is important, but solely picking evidence-based methods may not be most efficient use of resources and might lead to a selection bias towards intervening in areas where there is the most research. – AI-generated abstract.