Publication:
Design of Partial Population Experiments with an Application to Spillovers in Tax Compliance

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dc.contributor.authorCruces, Guillermo
dc.contributor.authorTortarolo, Dario
dc.contributor.authorVazquez-Bare, Gonzalo
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-07T14:54:32Z
dc.date.available2025-02-07T14:54:32Z
dc.date.issued2025-02-07
dc.description.abstractThis paper develops a framework to analyze partial population experiments, a generalization of the cluster experimental design where clusters are assigned to different treatment intensities. The framework allows for heterogeneity in cluster sizes and outcome distributions. The paper studies the large-sample behavior of OLS estimators and cluster-robust variance estimators and shows that (i) ignoring cluster heterogeneity may result in severely underpowered experiments and (ii) the cluster-robust variance estimator may be upward-biased when clusters are heterogeneous. The paper derives formulas for power, minimum detectable effects, and optimal cluster assignment probabilities. All the results apply to cluster experiments, a particular case of the framework. The paper sets up a potential outcomes framework to interpret the OLS estimands as causal effects. It implements the methods in a large-scale experiment to estimate the direct and spillover effects of a communication campaign on property tax compliance. The analysis reveals an increase in tax compliance among individuals directly targeted with the mailing, as well as compliance spillovers on untreated individuals in clusters with a high proportion of treated taxpayers.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099627502062533661/IDU1d7fa9ca21daee1426b1a75819c051ac745de
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-11059
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/42775
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWashington, DC: World Bank
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper; 11059
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectPARTIAL POPULATION EXPERIMENTS
dc.subjectSPILLOVERS
dc.subjectRANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS
dc.subjectCLUSTER EXPERIMENTS
dc.subjectTWO-STAGE DESIGNS
dc.subjectPROPERTY TAX
dc.subjectTAX COMPLIANCE
dc.titleDesign of Partial Population Experiments with an Application to Spillovers in Tax Complianceen
dc.typeWorking Paper
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.associatedcontenthttps://reproducibility.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/240 Link to reproducibility package
okr.date.disclosure2025-02-07
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-14T11:54:11.303356Z
okr.date.lastmodified2025-02-06T00:00:00Zen
okr.doctypePolicy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099627502062533661/IDU1d7fa9ca21daee1426b1a75819c051ac745de
okr.guid099627502062533661
okr.identifier.docmidIDU-d7fa9ca2-daee-426b-a758-9c051ac745de
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-11059
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum34453743
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum34453743
okr.identifier.reportWPS11059
okr.import.id6522
okr.importedtrueen
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099627502062533661/pdf/IDU1d7fa9ca21daee1426b1a75819c051ac745de.pdfen
okr.region.geographicalWorld
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Econometrics
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Taxation & Subsidies
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Fiscal & Monetary Policy
okr.unitProsperity-Econ Pol-Mac/Fis-Tax (EMFTX)
okr.unitDECRG: Macroeconomics & Growth (DECMG)
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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