Impact evaluations are studies that attempt to measure the causal impact of a project, program or policy on one or more outcomes of. This book provides a comprehensive exposition of how to conduct impact evaluations. Part I provides an overview of impact evaluations and comprises five chapters which are accessible to readers who have few or none of the technical (statistical and econometric) skills that are needed to conduct impact evaluations. Parts II and III make use of statistical and ...

This book provides a comprehensive exposition on how to conduct impact evaluations. It covers both randomized controlled trials and nonexperimental methods (such as difference-in-differences and matching methods) and also provides extensive practical advice for conducting impact evaluations.

The core methods in today's econometric toolkit are linear regression for statistical control, instrumental variables methods for the analysis of natural experiments, and differences-in-differences methods that exploit policy changes. In the modern experimentalist paradigm, these techniques address clear causal questions such as: Do smaller classes increase learning? Should wife batterers be arrested? How much does education raise wages? Mostly Harmless Econometrics shows how the ...

"How do I create a good research hypothesis?""How do I know when my literature review is finished?""What is the difference between a sample and a population?""What is power and why is it important?"In an increasingly data-driven world, it is more important than ever for students as well as professionals to better understand the process of research. This invaluable guide answers the essential questions that students ask abo...

Master the essential skills for designing and conducting a successful research projectEssentials of Research Design and Methodology contains practical information on how to design and conduct scientific research in the behavioral and social sciences. This accessible guide covers basic to advanced concepts in a clear, concrete, and readable style.The text offers students and practitioners in the behavioral sciences and related disciplines important insights into identifying ...

An accessible, contemporary introduction to the methods for determining cause and effect in the social sciences“Causation versus correlation has been the basis of arguments—economic and otherwise—since the beginning of time. Causal Inference: The Mixtape uses legit real-world examples that I found genuinely thought-provoking. It’s rare that a book prompts readers to expand their outlook; this one did for me.”—Marvin Young (Young MC)

David de Vaus' classic text Surveys in Social Research provides clear advice on how to plan, conduct and analyse social surveys. It emphasises the links between theory and research, the logic and interpretation of statistics and the practices of social research. This sixth edition has been completely revised and updated, and contains new examples, data and extensive lists of web resources.As well as explaining how to conduct good surveys, de Vaus shows how to become a crit...

This is an beginning book on statistics and research. It could be used by undergraduate students and graduate students alike. The book covers several methods of research including correlational and experimental methods. Rudiments of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics are also presented.

This succinct and jargon-free introduction to effect sizes gives students and researchers the tools they need to interpret the practical significance of their results. Using a class-tested approach that includes numerous examples and step-by-step exercises, it introduces and explains three of the most important issues relating to the practical significance of research results: the reporting and interpretation of effect sizes (Part I), the analysis of statistical power (Part II), and the me...

Educational policy-makers around the world constantly make decisions about how to use scarce resources to improve the education of children. Unfortunately, their decisions are rarely informed by evidence on the consequences of these initiatives in other settings. Nor are decisions typically accompanied by well-formulated plans to evaluate their causal impacts. As a result, knowledge about what works in different situations has been very slow to accumulate. Over the last several decades, ad...

While most books on missing data focus on applying sophisticated statistical techniques to deal with the problem after it has occurred, this volume provides a methodology for the control and prevention of missing data. In clear, nontechnical language, the authors help the reader understand the different types of missing data and their implications for the reliability, validity, and generalizability of a study’s conclusions. They provide practical recommendations for designing studies that ...

The purpose of this book is to introduce novice researchers to the tools of meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis and to summarize the state of the art for existing practitioners. Meta-regression analysis addresses the rising "Tower of Babel" that current economics and business research has become. Meta-analysis is the statistical analysis of previously published, or reported, research findings on a given hypothesis, empirical effect, phenomenon, or policy intervention. It is a system...