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    • COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      Impact Evaluation Methods in Public Economics: A Brief Introduction to Randomized Evaluations and Comparison with Other Methods
      20 Nov 2015Working Paper Summaries

      Impact Evaluation Methods in Public Economics: A Brief Introduction to Randomized Evaluations and Comparison with Other Methods

      by Dina Pomeranz
      Dina Pomeranz examines the use by public agencies of rigorous impact evaluations to test the effectiveness of citizen efforts.
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      Author Abstract

      Recent years have seen a large expansion in the use of rigorous impact evaluation techniques. Increasingly, public administrations are collaborating with academic economists and other quantitative social scientists to apply such rigorous methods to the study of public finance. These developments allow for more reliable measurements of the effects of different policy options on the behavioral responses of citizens, firm owners, or public officials. They can help decision makers in tax administrations, public procurement offices, and other public agencies design programs informed by well-founded evidence. This paper provides an introductory overview of the most frequently used impact evaluation methods. It is aimed at facilitating communication and collaboration between practitioners and academics by introducing key vocabulary and concepts used in rigorous impact evaluation methods, starting with randomized controlled trials and comparing them with other methods ranging from simple pre-post analysis to difference-in-differences, matching estimations, and regression discontinuity designs.

      Paper Information

      • Full Working Paper Text
      • Working Paper Publication Date: September 2015
      • HBS Working Paper Number: 16-019
      • Faculty Unit(s): Entrepreneurial Management
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