The Sucess of Job Applications: A New Approach to Program Evaluation

In this paper, we suggest a novel approach to program evaluation that allows identification of the causal effect of a training program on the likelihood of being invited to a job interview under weak assumptions. The idea is to measure the program-effects by pre- and post-treatment data that are very close in time for the same individual. Our approach provides useful information on both, average effects of the program as well as information on the effects of the program for each individual. Evidence on individual treatment effects is helpful as it can be used to improve the targeting of programs.