"This book is written to provide detailed, rigorous guidance on how to conduct impact evaluations of government and nongovernment programs and projects. It covers all the leading quantitative impact evaluation methods, explaining the assumptions required for them to provide unbiased estimates and the data required to implement them. It also provides many examples of how these methods have been applied in developing economies. The book’s contents are based on lectures given by the authors, and their collaborators, as part of a two-week intensive course conducted in China, Peru, South Africa, and Uganda between 2012 and 2017. The courses in China, South Africa, and Uganda were administered and supported by the Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR) Initiative, a multidonor partnership program for evaluation capacity development with its secretariat at the World Bank and centers located in universities in different parts of the world; in 2020, the program and centers became part of the Global Evaluation Initiative. The presentation of the material in this book is at a high technical level. It assumes that the reader is very comfortable with algebra and has an intermediate knowledge of statistical theory. It is essentially a graduate-level textbook for use in economics, public policy, or related academic programs, although it may also be useful for a course designed for advanced undergraduate students." (Preface)
PART I: THE BASICS OF IMPACT EVALUATION
1 The Purpose of Impact Evaluation, 3
2 How to Conduct an Impact Evaluation: Getting Started, 13
3 The Evaluation Problem, 31
4 Validity: Internal, External, and Trade-Offs, 39
5 Overview of Impact Evaluation Methods, 49
PART II: EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
6 Introduction to Randomized Controlled Trials, 71
7 Regression Methods for Randomized Controlled Trials, 87
8 Practical Advice for Implementing Randomized Evaluations, 105
9 Sample Size, Sample Design, and Statistical Power, 125
10 Recommendations for Conducting Ethical Impact Evaluations, 147
PART III: NONEXPERIMENTAL METHODS
11 Regression Methods for Nonrandomized Data: Cross-Sectional and Before-After Estimators, 159
12 Regression Methods for Nonrandomized Data: The Difference-in-Differences Estimator and the Within Estimator, 177
13 Matching Methods, 205
14 Regression Discontinuity Methods, 233
15 Instrumental Variables Estimation and Local Average Treatment Effects, 251
16 Control Function Methods, 267
17 Quantile Treatment Effects, 281
PART IV: DATA COLLECTION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
18 Designing Questionnaires and Other Data Collection Instruments, 303
19 Data Collection and Data Management, 321
20 Survey Management, 331
PART V: RELATED TOPICS
21 Dissemination of Results and Working with Policy Makers, 349
22 Qualitative Approaches, Data, and Analysis in Impact Evaluations, 359
23 Cost-Benefit Analysis and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, 389