Yearly Archives: 2017

The Many Faces of Participatory Methodologies

At our recently concluded annual seminar, Prof. Rajagopalan, of the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B), mentioned that the idea of “participative approaches” has gained currency within development work and literature. Stating this, he pointed to how participatory approaches are  seen as the panacea for all ills that plague development-related work. A significant point he drew all our attention… Read more »

The Problem of Researchers’ Discretion in Propensity Score Matching

In an impact evaluation study, researchers attempt to estimate the average treatment effects due to exposure to a programme or treatment, by comparing outcomes for treatment and control (non-treated) groups which are randomly assigned (Randomized Controlled Trials – RCT). Average Treatment Effect (ATE) is the difference between the average outcomes between the individuals/units assigned to the treatment and control. The… Read more »