Conducting Research in Marketing with Quasi-Experiments

55 Pages Posted: 7 Apr 2014 Last revised: 18 May 2022

See all articles by Avi Goldfarb

Avi Goldfarb

University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management

Catherine E. Tucker

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Management Science (MS)

Yanwen Wang

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Date Written: March 28, 2022

Abstract

This paper aims to broaden the understanding of quasi-experimental methods among marketing scholars and those who read their work by describing the underlying logic and set of actions that make their work convincing. The purpose of quasi-experimental methods is, in the absence of experimental variation, to determine the presence of a causal relationship. First, the paper explores how to identify settings and data where it is interesting to understand whether an action causally affects a marketing outcome. Second, the paper outlines how to structure an empirical strategy that allows the author to identify a causal empirical relationship. The paper details the application of various methods to identify how an action affects an outcome in marketing, including difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variables, propensity score matching, synthetic control, and selection bias correction. The paper emphasizes the importance of clearly communicating the identifying assumptions underlying the assertion of causality. Last, the paper explains how exploring the behavioral mechanism— whether individual, organizational, or market-level— can actually reinforce arguments of causality.

Keywords: Quasi-Experiments, Econometric Methods, Marketing, Practioner's Guide

JEL Classification: M3

Suggested Citation

Goldfarb, Avi and Tucker, Catherine E. and Wang, Yanwen, Conducting Research in Marketing with Quasi-Experiments (March 28, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2420920 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2420920

Avi Goldfarb

University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management ( email )

105 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6 M5S1S4
Canada
416-946-8604 (Phone)
416-978-5433 (Fax)

Catherine E. Tucker (Contact Author)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Management Science (MS) ( email )

100 Main St
E62-536
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States

HOME PAGE: http://cetucker.scripts.mit.edu

Yanwen Wang

University of British Columbia (UBC) ( email )

Vancouver, BC
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.sauder.ubc.ca/people/yanwen-wang

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