Randomized Experiments for Planning and Evaluation

Randomized Experiments for Planning and Evaluation
Author: Robert F. Boruch
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 284
Release: 1997
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780803935105

Boruch untangles the complexities of randomized field experiments, exploring the criteria for deciding whether a programme has worked or not, standards used to judge the ethcial propriety of the experiments and baseline measures.

Running Randomized Evaluations

Running Randomized Evaluations
Author: Rachel Glennerster
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2013-11-24
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 140084844X

A comprehensive guide to running randomized impact evaluations of social programs in developing countries This book provides a comprehensive yet accessible guide to running randomized impact evaluations of social programs. Drawing on the experience of researchers at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, which has run hundreds of such evaluations in dozens of countries throughout the world, it offers practical insights on how to use this powerful technique, especially in resource-poor environments. This step-by-step guide explains why and when randomized evaluations are useful, in what situations they should be used, and how to prioritize different evaluation opportunities. It shows how to design and analyze studies that answer important questions while respecting the constraints of those working on and benefiting from the program being evaluated. The book gives concrete tips on issues such as improving the quality of a study despite tight budget constraints, and demonstrates how the results of randomized impact evaluations can inform policy. With its self-contained modules, this one-of-a-kind guide is easy to navigate. It also includes invaluable references and a checklist of the common pitfalls to avoid. Provides the most up-to-date guide to running randomized evaluations of social programs, especially in developing countries Offers practical tips on how to complete high-quality studies in even the most challenging environments Self-contained modules allow for easy reference and flexible teaching and learning Comprehensive yet nontechnical

Experimental Evaluation Design for Program Improvement

Experimental Evaluation Design for Program Improvement
Author: Laura R. Peck
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 85
Release: 2019-09-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 150639003X

The concepts of cause and effect are critical to the field of program evaluation. Experimentally-designed evaluations—those that randomize to treatment and control groups—offer a convincing means for establishing a causal connection between a program and its effects. Experimental Evaluation Design for Program Improvement considers a range of impact evaluation questions, particularly those questions that focus on the impact of specific aspects of a program. Laura R. Peck shows how a variety of experimental evaluation design options can provide answers to these questions, and she suggests opportunities for experiments to be applied in more varied settings and focused on program improvement efforts.

Methods of Randomization in Experimental Design

Methods of Randomization in Experimental Design
Author: Valentim R. Alferes
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2012-10
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1452202923

This text provides a conceptual systematization and a practical tool for the randomization of between-subjects and within-subjects experimental designs.

Randomization in Clinical Trials

Randomization in Clinical Trials
Author: William F. Rosenberger
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2015-11-23
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1118742249

Praise for the First Edition “All medical statisticians involved in clinical trials should read this book...” - Controlled Clinical Trials Featuring a unique combination of the applied aspects of randomization in clinical trials with a nonparametric approach to inference, Randomization in Clinical Trials: Theory and Practice, Second Edition is the go-to guide for biostatisticians and pharmaceutical industry statisticians. Randomization in Clinical Trials: Theory and Practice, Second Edition features: Discussions on current philosophies, controversies, and new developments in the increasingly important role of randomization techniques in clinical trials A new chapter on covariate-adaptive randomization, including minimization techniques and inference New developments in restricted randomization and an increased focus on computation of randomization tests as opposed to the asymptotic theory of randomization tests Plenty of problem sets, theoretical exercises, and short computer simulations using SAS® to facilitate classroom teaching, simplify the mathematics, and ease readers’ understanding Randomization in Clinical Trials: Theory and Practice, Second Edition is an excellent reference for researchers as well as applied statisticians and biostatisticians. The Second Edition is also an ideal textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in biostatistics and applied statistics. William F. Rosenberger, PhD, is University Professor and Chairman of the Department of Statistics at George Mason University. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and author of over 80 refereed journal articles, as well as The Theory of Response-Adaptive Randomization in Clinical Trials, also published by Wiley. John M. Lachin, ScD, is Research Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics as well as in the Department of Statistics at The George Washington University. A Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Society for Clinical Trials, Dr. Lachin is actively involved in coordinating center activities for clinical trials of diabetes. He is the author of Biostatistical Methods: The Assessment of Relative Risks, Second Edition, also published by Wiley.

Perspectives On Evaluating Criminal Justice and Corrections

Perspectives On Evaluating Criminal Justice and Corrections
Author: Erica Bowen
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2012-06-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 178052644X

A comprehensive and authoritative overview of issues relating to the evaluation of criminal justice/corrections 'interventions', this book draws on a range of theoretical, cultural and epistemological perspectives with authors from a range of disciplines and countries, and provides a unique reference for academics, practitioners and policy-makers.

Handbook of Ethics in Quantitative Methodology

Handbook of Ethics in Quantitative Methodology
Author: A. T. Panter
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 508
Release: 2011-03-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1136888721

This comprehensive Handbook is the first to provide a practical, interdisciplinary review of ethical issues as they relate to quantitative methodology including how to present evidence for reliability and validity, what comprises an adequate tested population, and what constitutes scientific knowledge for eliminating biases. The book uses an ethical framework that emphasizes the human cost of quantitative decision making to help researchers understand the specific implications of their choices. The order of the Handbook chapters parallels the chronology of the research process: determining the research design and data collection; data analysis; and communicating findings. Each chapter: Explores the ethics of a particular topic Identifies prevailing methodological issues Reviews strategies and approaches for handling such issues and their ethical implications Provides one or more case examples Outlines plausible approaches to the issue including best-practice solutions. Part 1 presents ethical frameworks that cross-cut design, analysis, and modeling in the behavioral sciences. Part 2 focuses on ideas for disseminating ethical training in statistics courses. Part 3 considers the ethical aspects of selecting measurement instruments and sample size planning and explores issues related to high stakes testing, the defensibility of experimental vs. quasi-experimental research designs, and ethics in program evaluation. Decision points that shape a researchers’ approach to data analysis are examined in Part 4 – when and why analysts need to account for how the sample was selected, how to evaluate tradeoffs of hypothesis-testing vs. estimation, and how to handle missing data. Ethical issues that arise when using techniques such as factor analysis or multilevel modeling and when making causal inferences are also explored. The book concludes with ethical aspects of reporting meta-analyses, of cross-disciplinary statistical reform, and of the publication process. This Handbook appeals to researchers and practitioners in psychology, human development, family studies, health, education, sociology, social work, political science, and business/marketing. This book is also a valuable supplement for quantitative methods courses required of all graduate students in these fields.

Snapshots of Research

Snapshots of Research
Author: Richard D. Hartley
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2010-10-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 145222434X

Snapshots of Research: Readings in Criminology and Criminal Justice is a comprehensive, cutting-edge text that provides an introductory overview of the main research methods used in the fields of criminology and criminal justice. This text/reader offers a wide range of modern research examples, as well as several classic articles, including a broad range of readings from the four major branches of the criminal justice system—policing, courts/law, juvenile justice, and corrections—that are relevant to career paths students may be interested in pursuing.

Evaluation and Experiment

Evaluation and Experiment
Author: Carl A. Bennett
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 572
Release: 2013-09-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1483260844

Evaluation and Experiment: Some Critical Issues in Assessing Social Programs is a collection of papers presented at the 1973 symposium held at The Battelle Seattle Research Center. This book contains eight chapters that consider some selected aspects of the problems in evaluating the outcomes of socially important programs, such as those dealing with education, health, and economic policy. The first chapter provides an overview of the issues around the Social Program Evaluation. The next chapters deal with the successes and failures brought by social innovations; the quasi-experimental evaluation in compensatory education to estimate the true effects of such education programs; and the usefulness and validity of econometric and related nonexperimental approaches for assessing the effects of social programs. These topics are followed by surveys of a number of additional program-evaluation studies, particularly in the field of family planning or fertility control, mostly carried out as experiments or quasi-experiments in Asian and Latin American countries. Other chapters describe the decision processes that involve explicit assessment of the worth or merit of outcomes and employ multivalued utility analysis and outline the ways in which evaluative data are useful in providing feedback to program or institutional operations and decisions. The final chapter discusses resolutions for some of the disagreements expressed by others concerning the role of field experiments, constraints in their utilization, and other factors that enter into a comprehensive conception of program evaluation.