Advanced Impact Evaluation Course
Participants in the Advanced Impact Evaluation Course in Cambridge, MA, 2017.
Photo: Amanda Kohn | J-PAL
Field experiments have become an indispensable tool not only to evaluate the impact of policy programs, but also to answer key conceptual questions in economic development. Advanced courses are typically offered as a three-day workshop and provide a detailed introduction to the use of randomized field experiments in development economics.
The target audience includes researchers and impact evaluation professionals who are familiar with economics and econometrics. The workshops are designed and taught by faculty and may include topics like:
How to design an experiment:
- Methods of randomization
- Linking experimental design and theory
- Determining sample size using parametric and non-parametric power calculations
How to implement an experiment:
- Finding funding
- Working with partner organizations
- Data collection (including innovative methods of data collection)
- Pitfalls to avoid
Analyzing data from an experiment:
- Average effects
- Heterogeneity of treatment effects
- CACE (Complier Average Causal Effect)
- LATE (Local Average Treatment Effect)
- Structural estimation
Advanced courses have been offered in Paris, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cambridge, United States; and Santiago, Chile in the past.