Design-based RCT estimators and central limit theorems for baseline subgroup and related analyses

Abstract

Abstract There is a growing literature on design-based (DB) methods to estimate average treatment effects (ATEs) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for full sample analyses. This article extends these methods to estimate ATEs for discrete subgroups defined by pre-treatment variables, with an application to an RCT testing subgroup effects for a school voucher experiment in New York City. We consider ratio estimators for subgroup effects using regression methods, allowing for model covariates to improve precision, and prove a new finite population central limit theorem. We discuss extensions to blocked and clustered RCT designs, and to other common estimators with random treatment-control sample sizes or summed weights: post-stratification estimators, weighted estimators that adjust for data nonresponse, and estimators for Bernoulli trials. We also develop simple variance estimators that share features with robust estimators. Simulations show that the DB subgroup estimators yield confidence interval coverage near nominal levels, even for small subgroups.