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Place Randomized Trials
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Place Randomized Trials
Experimental Tests of Public Policy

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December 2013 | 292 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

The phrase "evidence-based policy" is frequently used, but it's crucial that such claims are scrutinized and validated. When the data on social and behavioral interventions are presented, high-quality evidence must be clearly defined and the methodology behind such studies held to rigorous standards.

Both the Cochrane Collaboration –focusing on healthcare – and the international Campbell Collaboration – concentrating on criminal justice, education, and social services – were   created to develop, maintain and improve detailed guidelines for producing high-quality systematic reviews. And both organizations emphasize randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions.

As a springboard from the Campbell Collaboration initiative and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, this special issue of The Annals includes a thorough review of randomized tests across a variety of studies. Exploring significant dimensions of place randomized trials (also called cluster randomized trials or group randomized trials), these papers shed light on recent efforts to enhance the quality of designing such trials as well as on results reporting.

The research topics included in this volume are diverse. Taken together, these papers offer important insight into the nuts and bolts of conducting randomized trials: the significance of place in trials; how such studies are initiated; the incentives and justifications needed by participants; how to overcome challenges of implementation; and where to find out what studies have already been conducted or are currently underway.

While providing far-reaching insight into the topic of randomized testing, these papers also identify new issues and key questions to be further addressed in future research. Scholars and policymakers alike will find this collection of rigorous research essential in understanding the implications of current evidence-based policies as well as a guidepost for designing and conducting new studies.


Robert F. Boruch
Better Evaluation for Evidence-Based Policy and Practice: Place Randomized Trials in Education, Crime, Welfare, and Prevention
Howard S. Bloom and James A. Riccio
Using Place-Based Random Assignment and Comparative Interrupted Time-Series Analysis to Evaluate the Jobs-Plus Employment Program for Public Housing Residents
Kathleen J. Sikkema
HIV Prevention Among Women in Low-Income Housing Developments: Issues and Intervention Outcomes in Place-Based Randomized Controlled Trial
Jeremy Grimshaw, Marion Campbell, and Diana Elbourne
Cluster Randomized Trials of Professional and Organizational Behavior Change Interventions in Health Care Settings
Laura C. Leviton and Jeffrey D. Horbar
Cluster Randomized Trials for the Evaluation of Strategies Designed to Promote Evidence-Based Practice in Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine
Brian R. Flay and Linda M. Collins
Historical Review of School-Based Randomized Trials for Evaluating Problem Behavior Prevention Programs
Andrew C. Porter, Rolf K. Blank, John L. Smithson, and Eric Osthoff
Place-Based Randomized Trials to Test the Effects on Instructional Practices of a Mathematics/Science Professional Development Program for Teachers
Thomas D. Cook
Emergent Principles for the Design, Implementation, and Analysis of Cluster-Based Experiments in Social Science
Susan W. Parker and Graciela M. Teruel
Randomization and Social Program Evaluation: The Case of Progresa
David Weisburd
Hot Spots Policing Experiments and Criminal Justice Research: Lessons From the Field
Herbert L. Smith
Introducing New Contraceptives in Rural China: A Field Experiment
 
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Hardcover
ISBN: 9781412925815
$95.00