Methodology

For nearly 50 years, MDRC has been a leader in pioneering the most rigorous research methods in program evaluation and in sharing what we have learned with the field. MDRC is at the forefront of both the theoretical refinement and practical use of cutting-edge designs to solve real-world research problems.

In addition to our methodological work, MDRC serves the field in other ways, including hosting doctoral summer fellows, who work on their dissertations while participating in the intellectual life of MDRC, and making data sets from our evaluations available to researchers at no charge for their own work.

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Methodology

Bayesian Methods in Social Policy Evaluations

By combining prior beliefs about a program’s effectiveness with new data to produce a distribution of impacts, Bayesian statistics provides an alternative to classical methods that may be more useful for policymaking. Reflections on Methodology discusses some issues with and applications of this approach.

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Methodology

Measuring Treatment Contrast in Randomized Controlled Trials

In a randomized controlled trial, measuring treatment contrast – the difference in services received by a program group and those in a counterfactual condition – is critical for understanding what a program’s effects suggest about the best ways to improve services. This paper explains why treatment contrast is important and offers guidance about how to measure it.

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Methodology

Quantifying Cross-Site Impact Variation: Some Important Lessons

Multisite randomized trials allow researchers to study both the average impact of an intervention and how the impact varies across settings, which can help guide decisions in policy, practice, and science. This Reflections on Methodology post distills some key considerations for research design and for reporting and interpreting such variation.

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Investing in the Future

The Judith Gueron Fund for Methodological Innovation
 

The Judith Gueron Fund for Methodological Innovation in Social Policy Research was established in 2004 by MDRC and six founding partners, the Annie E. Casey, Rockefeller, Jerry Lee, Spencer, William T. Grant, and Grable Foundations, in honor of Gueron’s legacy of promoting high standards in social policy research. Gueron served as President of MDRC from 1986 to 2004.

The Fund helps advance MDRC’s work on new methodologies for developing evidence that informs policy and improves practice.

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