Opiates for the Matches: Matching Methods for Causal Inference

Posted: 4 Jun 2010

Date Written: June 2009

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a burst of innovative work on methods for estimating causal effects using observational data. Much of this work has extended and brought a renewed focus on old approaches such as matching, which is the focus of this review. The new developments highlight an old tension in the social sciences: a focus on research design versus a focus on quantitative models. This realization, along with the renewed interest in field experiments, has marked the return of foundational questions as opposed to a fascination with the latest estimator. I use studies of get-out-the-vote interventions to exemplify this development. Without an experiment, natural experiment, a discontinuity, or some other strong design, no amount of econometric or statistical modeling can make the move from correlation to causation persuasive.

Suggested Citation

Sekhon, Jasjeet S., Opiates for the Matches: Matching Methods for Causal Inference (June 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1600553 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.060606.135444

Jasjeet S. Sekhon (Contact Author)

UC Berkeley ( email )

310 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

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