Evaluating Social Programs
Randomized evaluations can be valuable tools for measuring the impact of social programs. Learn why and when to use them, and how their findings can inform the design of evidence-based policies and programs.
Evaluating Social Programs
Randomized evaluations can be valuable tools for measuring the impact of social programs. Learn why and when to use them, and how their findings can inform the design of evidence-based policies and programs.
In this online course, you will learn why, when, and how to design a randomized evaluation to effectively measure the impact of social programs. From developing a theory of change to navigating design challenges and ethical considerations, this course explores each step in the evaluation process.
What you'll learn
- How to identify opportunities for impact evaluation
- How to develop a theory of change and measure outcomes
- Key components of a well-designed randomized evaluation
- How to determine an appropriate sample size to reliably estimate impact
- Common threats and pitfalls to the validity of experiments
- How to assess generalizability and use research findings to inform policy
Prerequisites
Although not required, prior familiarity with basic statistical concepts is recommended.
Meet your instructors
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Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago -
Global Executive Director -
Professor of Economics
Rachel Glennerster
Rachel Glennerster
Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago
Rachel Glennerster is an associate professor of economics in the Division of Social Science at the University of Chicago. She is also an affiliated professor and former Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). She uses randomized trials to study democracy and accountability, health, education, microfinance, and women’s empowerment mainly in West Africa and South Asia. She has also written on strategies to stimulate innovation, promoting more equitable access to vaccines, and the response to Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics.
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Iqbal Dhaliwal
Iqbal Dhaliwal
Global Executive Director
Iqbal Dhaliwal is the Global Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). Based at the economics department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he works with the Board of Directors to develop the organization’s strategic vision, and with the leadership of J-PAL’s regional offices to coordinate research, policy outreach, capacity building, and operations worldwide. He is also the co-director with Esther Duflo of J-PAL’s South Asia office, co-chair with Abhijit Banerjee of the Innovation in Government Initiative, and co-chair with Shawn Cole and Lars Vilhuber of the Innovations in Data and Experiments for Action Initiative.
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Benjamin Olken
Benjamin Olken
Professor of Economics
Benjamin Olken is a Professor of Economics at MIT. His research focuses on political economy and public sector issues in developing countries, with a particular interest in corruption. He is a faculty Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT, Co-Scientific Director of the Lab’s Southeast Asia office in Jakarta, and Co-Chair of the Lab’s Governance Initiative. Olken received his BA _summa cum laude _as a double-major in Mathematics and Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University in 1997, and his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University in 2004. In 1997-1998 he was a Henry Luce Scholar, living in Jakarta, Indonesia. He joined the MIT faculty as a tenured faculty member in 2008, directly after a three-year term as a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows and a one-year post-doctoral fellowship at the NBER.