genoud is an R function that combines evolutionary algorithm methods with a derivative-based (quasi-Newton) method to solve difficult optimization problems. genoud may also be used for optimization problems for which derivatives do not exist. genoud solves problems that are nonlinear or perhaps...

Matching is an R package which provides functions for multivariate and propensity score matching and for finding optimal covariate balance based on a genetic search algorithm. A variety of univariate and multivariate metrics to determine if balance actually has been obtained are provided. The...

Building on an idea in Abadie and Gardeazabal (2003), this article investigates the application of synthetic control methods to comparative case studies. We discuss the advantages of these methods and apply them to study the effects of Proposition 99, a large-scale tobacco control program that...

Building on an idea in Abadie and Gardeazabal (2003), this article investigates the application of synthetic control methods to comparative case studies. We discuss the advantages of these methods and apply them to study the effects of Proposition 99, a large-scale tobacco control program that...

The R package Synth implements synthetic control methods for comparative case studies designed to estimate the causal effects of policy interventions and other events of interest (Abadie and Gardeazabal 2003; Abadie, Diamond, and Hainmueller 2010). These techniques are particularly well-suited to...