Social Experimentation and Public Policy (Urban Institute Press) - Softcover

Greenberg, David H.; Linksz, Donna; Mandell, Marvin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 087766711X ISBN 13: 9780877667117

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003

Synopsis

Social experiments use random assignment to measure the market or fiscal outcomes of policy interventions. Since the 1960s, they have become the major method for evaluating proposed changes in social programs. To judge the social gains of these experiments, policymakers, funders of experiments, the public, and those who conduct social experiments need realistic standards and expectations for judging.Social Experimentation and Public Policymaking advances that effort with a history of social experimentation and a theoretical framework for study of its techniques. The authors analyze five of the most prominent social experiments ever conducted, to explore their origins, the use of the resulting findings, and factors that influenced the use of the findings. The result is a comprehensive examination of the effectiveness of social experimentation and important insights into how this powerful tool can be used to improve public policy.

About this title

About the Author:

David Greenberg is a professor of economics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He is the coauthor of a widely used textbook on cost-benefit analysis and the Digest of Social Experiments, a reference book published by the Urban Institute Press that provides summary information on all previous and ongoing social experiments.

Donna Linksz is currently the dean of mathematics, science, and engineering at the Community College of Baltimore County. Her current research interests include learning outcomes assessment at the course and program levels. Her previous publications include institutional research articles and two college mathematics textbooks.

Marvin Mandell is director and professor in the policy sciences graduate program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is the coeditor of Government and Policy, an associate editor of Management Science, and a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management.

Review:

"...a careful, thoughtful analysis of the interplay between research and policy." -- Larry L. Orr, author of Social Experiments: Evaluating Public Programs with Experimental Methods

"...an outstanding book that deserves a very wide audience in a range of fields..." -- Carol Hirschon Weiss, Beatrice B. Whiting Professor, Harvard University Graduate School of Education

"Teachers, policy analysts, and policymakers...will find this comprehensive guide wonderfully informative..." -- Gordon Berlin, Senior Vice President, MDRC

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 087766711X
• ISBN 13: 9780877667117
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 335