Propensity Score Methods and Applications

Book excerpt: A concise, introductory text, Propensity Score Methods and Applications describes propensity score methods (PSM) and how they are used to balance the distributions of observed covariates between treatment conditions as a means to reduce selection bias. This new QASS title specifically focuses on the procedures of implementing PSM for research in social sciences, instead of merely demonstrating the effectiveness of the method. Using succinct and approachable language to introduce the basic concepts of PSM, authors Haiyan Bai and M. H. Clark present basic concepts, assumptions, procedures, available software packages, and step-by-step examples for implementing PSM using real-world data, with exercises at the end of each chapter allowing readers to replicate examples on their own.