Statistical Matching Technique
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A Statistical Matching Technique is a treatment evaluation technique that compares the treated and the non-treated units in an observational study or quasi-experiment (i.e. when the treatment is not randomly assigned).
- Example(s):
- See: Observational Study, Quasi-Experiment, Rubin Causal Model.
References
2020
- (Wikipedia, 2020) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matching_(statistics) Retrieved:2020-10-9.
- Matching is a statistical technique which is used to evaluate the effect of a treatment by comparing the treated and the non-treated units in an observational study or quasi-experiment (i.e. when the treatment is not randomly assigned). The goal of matching is, for every treated unit, to find one (or more) non-treated unit(s) with similar observable characteristics against whom the effect of the treatment can be assessed. By matching treated units to similar non-treated units, matching enables a comparison of outcomes among treated and non-treated units to estimate the effect of the treatment reducing bias due to confounding. Propensity score matching, an early matching technique, was developed as part of the Rubin causal model, but has been shown to increase model dependence, bias, inefficiency, and power and is no longer recommended compared to other matching methods. Matching has been promoted by Donald Rubin. It was prominently criticized in economics by LaLonde (1986), who compared estimates of treatment effects from an experiment to comparable estimates produced with matching methods and showed that matching methods are biased. Dehejia and Wahba (1999) reevaluated LaLonde's critique and showed that matching is a good solution. Similar critiques have been raised in political science and sociology journals.