Leite W.L. Practical Propensity Score Methods Using R

SAGE Publications, 2016. — 224 p. — ISBN: 1452288887.Practical Propensity Score Methods Using R by Walter Leite is a practical book that uses a step-by-step analysis of realistic examples to help students understand the theory and code for implementing propensity score analysis with the R statistical language. With a comparison of both well-established and cutting-edge propensity score methods, the text highlights where solid guidelines exist to support best practices and where there is scarcity of research. Readers will find that this scaffolded approach to R and the books free online resources help them apply the texts concepts to the analysis of their own data.
The R statistical software was chosen to demonstrate the implementation of propensity score methods such as matching, stratification, and weighting, because it is very popular worldwide, and it is the software that is updated with the most recent statistical research at the fastest rate. In fact, it is quite common for researchers to propose a new statistical method and present an R package to implement it simultaneously. Therefore, the R statistical software is ideal for an area of very active research such as propensity score analysis. The book’s purpose is to enable graduate students and researchers to adequately implement propensity score analysis methods using the R software to obtain publishable results. The reason for the choice of realistic examples in the book is that if students can understand the complexities of the example, they are also ready to tackle their own data set and publish their research.