Regression modelQuasi-experimental / causal inference
Synthetic Control Method for Policy Evaluation
The Synthetic Control Method (SCM) is a causal inference technique for evaluating the effect of a policy or intervention on a single treated unit — such as a region, country, or firm — by constructing a weighted combination of untreated comparison units that closely mirrors the treated unit before the intervention. Introduced by Abadie and Gardeazabal (2003) and formalized by Abadie, Diamond, and Hainmueller (2010), it provides a data-driven, transparent counterfactual for comparative case studies.
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Sources
- Abadie, A., Diamond, A., & Hainmueller, J. (2010). Synthetic Control Methods for Comparative Case Studies: Estimating the Effect of California's Tobacco Control Program. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 105(490), 493-505. DOI: 10.1198/jasa.2009.ap08746 ↗
- Abadie, A., & Gardeazabal, J. (2003). The Economic Costs of Conflict: A Case Study of the Basque Country. American Economic Review, 93(1), 113-132. DOI: 10.1257/000282803321455188 ↗