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Title: Constructing multiple, independent analyses in the regression discontinuity design with multiple cutoffs
Abstract: The regression discontinuity (RD) design is a commonly used non-experimental approach for evaluating policy or program effects. However, this approach heavily relies on the untestable assumption that distribution of confounders or average potential outcomes near or at the cutoff are comparable. When there are multiple cutoffs that create several discontinuities in the treatment assignments, factors that can lead this assumption to the failure at one cutoff may overlap with those at other cutoffs, invalidating the causal effects from each cutoff. In this study, we propose a novel approach for testing the causal hypothesis of no RD treatment effect that can remain valid even when the assumption commonly considered in the RD design does not hold. We propose leveraging variations in multiple available cutoffs and constructing a set of instrumental variables (IVs). We then combine the evidence from multiple IVs with a direct comparison under the local randomization framework. This reinforced design that combines multiple factors from a single data can produce several, nearly independent inferential results that depend on very different assumptions with each other. Our proposed approach can be extended to a fuzzy RD design. We apply our method to evaluate the effect of having access to higher achievement schools on students' academic performances in Romania.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2015250
PAR ID:
10640660
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Project muse
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Observational Studies
Volume:
10
Issue:
2
ISSN:
2767-3324
Page Range / eLocation ID:
63 to 91
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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