Authors
Daniel E Ho, Kosuke Imai, Gary King, Elizabeth A Stuart
Publication date
2007/7
Journal
Political analysis
Volume
15
Issue
3
Pages
199-236
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Description
Although published works rarely include causal estimates from more than a few model specifications, authors usually choose the presented estimates from numerous trial runs readers never see. Given the often large variation in estimates across choices of control variables, functional forms, and other modeling assumptions, how can researchers ensure that the few estimates presented are accurate or representative? How do readers know that publications are not merely demonstrations that it is possible to find a specification that fits the author's favorite hypothesis? And how do we evaluate or even define statistical properties like unbiasedness or mean squared error when no unique model or estimator even exists? Matching methods, which offer the promise of causal inference with fewer assumptions, constitute one possible way forward, but crucial results in this fast-growing methodological literature are often …
Total citations
2006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024163283111160156195229284300320355392394428508435447239