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Advancing Evidence-Based Decision Making: A Toolkit on Recognizing and Conducting Opportunistic Experiments in the Family Self-Sufficiency and Stability Policy Area
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Advancing Evidence-Based Decision Making: A Toolkit on Recognizing and Conducting Opportunistic Experiments in the Family Self-Sufficiency and Stability Policy Area

Published: Oct 30, 2015
Publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
Human Services Family Support TANF and Employment Issues Analytics & Operations Research & Evaluation Data Strategy Technical Assistance Evaluation Design Policy Analysis Rapid Cycle Evaluation

Clients

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Authors

Alicia Meckstroth

Alexandra Resch

Jonathan McCay

Michelle K. Derr

Jillian Berk

Lauren Akers

This report describes in detail how researchers, policymakers, and program administrators can recognize opportunities for experiments and carry them out. Specifically, the report focuses on opportunistic experiments, defined as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that study the effects of initiatives, program changes, or policy actions that agencies or programs plan or intend to implement—as opposed to studying an intervention or policy action that is developed and implemented specifically for a research study.

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