401. Understanding "Off the Books" Politics: Conducting Inference on the Determinants of Sensitive Behavior with Randomized Response Surveys.
- Author
-
Gingerich, Daniel W.
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL science , *SOCIAL sciences , *INFERENCE (Logic) , *BEHAVIOR , *SURVEYS - Abstract
This study presents a survey-based method for conducting inference into the determinants of sensitive political behavior. The approach combines two well established literatures in statistical methods in the social sciences: the randomized response (RR) methodology utilized to reduce evasive answer bias and the generalized propensity score (GPS) methodology utilized to draw inferences about the causal effects in observational studies. The approach permits one to correctly estimate the causal impact of a multi-valued predictor variable of interest on a given sensitive behavior in the face of unknown interaction effects between the predictor and confounders as well as non-linearities in the relationship between the confounders and the sensitive behavior. Simulation results point to the superior performance of the RR relative to direct survey questioning using this method for samples of moderate to large size (N=1,000 or above). The utility of the approach is illustrated through an application to corruption in the public bureaucracy in three countries in South America. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008