An Economic Approach to Generalizing Findings from Regression-Discontinuity Designs

Nirav Mehta

Journal of Human Resources, 2019, vol. 54, issue 4, 953-985

Abstract: Regression-discontinuity (RD) designs estimate treatment effects only around a cutoff. This paper shows what can be learned about average treatment effects for the treated (ATT), untreated (ATUT), and population (ATE) if the cutoff was chosen to maximize the net gain from treatment. Without capacity constraints, the RD estimate bounds the ATT from below and the ATUT from above, implying bounds for the ATE, and optimality of the cutoff rules out constant treatment effects. Bounds are typically looser if the capacity constraint binds. Testable implications of cutoff optimality are derived. The results are demonstrated using previous RD studies.

JEL-codes: C14 C21 C25 I2 J01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.54.4.1115.7497R2
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://jhr.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/54/4/953
A subscription is required to access pdf files. Pay per article is available.

Related works:
Working Paper: An Economic Approach to Generalize Findings from Regression-Discontinuity Designs (2015)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:54:y:2019:i:4:p:953-985

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Human Resources from University of Wisconsin Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().