Matching Methods in Practice: Three Examples / Guido Imbens.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Imbens, Guido.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w19959.

NBER working paper series no. w19959

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Matching Methods in Practice

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2014.

Summary:

There is a large theoretical literature on methods for estimating causal effects under unconfoundedness, exogeneity, or selection--on--observables type assumptions using matching or propensity score methods. Much of this literature is highly technical and has not made inroads into empirical practice where many researchers continue to use simple methods such as ordinary least squares regression even in settings where those methods do not have attractive properties. In this paper I discuss some of the lessons for practice from the theoretical literature, and provide detailed recommendations on what to do. I illustrate the recommendations with three detailed applications.

Notes:

Print version record

March 2014.