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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Essay on the integration of interactions in the treatment effect evaluation : the contribution of spatial econometrics methods

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This thesis focuses on the integration of interactions in the estimation of the public policy’s effect. Indeed, the estimation standard methods usually rely on strong assumptions that exclude partially or completely the interaction effect both in the selection process of beneficiaries and in the performance of the policy. However, the validity of these assumptions is questionable, particularly in the context of a non-experimental policy because an individual according as it is the beneficiary or not the policy, is not isolated: he interacts with his neighborhood. Thus, the estimated effect of the policy by traditional methods is likely to be biased (underestimation or overestimation) therefore induce decision-making based on erroneous conclusions. Therefore, in this thesis, we assume that the treatment received by an individual can affect other individuals in his neighborhood through different diffusion mechanisms. Using spatial econometric methods, we propose a methodological framework to take into account both in selection process and in the outcomes the interactions in the estimation of the policy effect. Four extensions of the evaluation methods are developed with an empirical study for each method.