Good Identification, Meet Good Data

8 Pages Posted: 20 Dec 2019 Last revised: 1 Oct 2020

See all articles by Andrew Dillon

Andrew Dillon

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

Dean Karlan

Northwestern University

Christopher Udry

Northwestern University

Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth College; Innovations for Poverty Action; Jameel Poverty Action Lab; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: December 1, 2019

Abstract

Causal inference lies at the heart of social science, and the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics highlights the value of randomized variation for identifying causal effects and mechanisms. But causal inference cannot rely on randomized variation alone; it also requires good data. Yet the data-generating process has received less consideration from economists. We provide a simple framework to clarify how research inputs affect data quality and discuss several such inputs, including interviewer selection and training, survey design, and investments in linking across multiple data sources. More investment in research on the data quality production function would considerably improve casual inference generally, and poverty alleviation specifically.

Keywords: causal inference, data quality, research methods, survey design

Suggested Citation

Dillon, Andrew and Karlan, Dean and Udry, Christopher and Zinman, Jonathan, Good Identification, Meet Good Data (December 1, 2019). Global Poverty Research Lab Working Paper No. 19-105, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3506860 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3506860

Andrew Dillon (Contact Author)

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Dean Karlan

Northwestern University ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Christopher Udry

Northwestern University ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth College ( email )

Hanover, NH 03755
United States
603-646-0075 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.dartmouth.edu/jzinman/

Innovations for Poverty Action

1731 Connecticut Ave, 4th floor
New Haven, CT 20009
United States

Jameel Poverty Action Lab

E60-246
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
122
Abstract Views
1,130
Rank
412,725
PlumX Metrics