class: center, top, title-slide .title[ # Evaluating and Synthesizing Quantitative Research ] .subtitle[ ## CRMW Lecture 1 ] .author[ ### Charles Lanfear ] .date[ ### 30 Jan 2025<br>Updated: 29 Jan 2025 ] --- # Background .text-125[ You have been hired as a team of social policy consultants ] -- .text-125[ &nbsp; The policy-maker wants an answer to the following question: ** *Do Community Violence Interventions (CVI) reduce violence?* ** &nbsp; ] -- .text-125[ Your colleagues have already identified a collection of relevant studies, but they haven't obtained them or evaluated them yet ] -- .text-125[ &nbsp; Time is short: *You're meeting the policy-maker at the end of today's seminar!* ] --- # The Maryland Scale * **Level 5**: Units have been **randomised** into treatment and control groups -- * **Level 4**: Exploits **quasi-randomness** so that treatment and control groups credibly differ only in their exposure to the random allocation of treatment -- * **Level 3**: Comparison of outcomes in treated group **before and after** an intervention, and a **comparison group** used to provide a **comparable counterfactual** -- * **Level 2**: Use of **adequate control variables** and either... * A post-intervention comparison of treated groups with untreated groups * A before-and-after comparison of only the treated group -- * **Level 1**: Either... * A post-intervention comparison of treated groups with untreated groups * A before-and-after comparison of only the treated group --- # Your Task .text-125[ Use the Cambridge Library, Google Scholar, or other resources to: 1. Locate the study on the slide, then 2. Sort it into one of the "Maryland levels" based on its design 3. Write your group #, first author, year, and rating on slip¹ .footnote[[1] e.g.: "2 MacDonald (2016) 5"] If there is disagreement among group members, *record the disagreement for discussion* ] --- ## STUDY 1 .text-125[ Braga, A.A., Hureau, D.M., & Papachristos, A.V. (2014) Deterring gang-involved gun violence: Measuring the impact of Boston's Operation Ceasefire on street gang behavior. *Journal of Quantitative Criminology*, 30. ] --- ## STUDY 2 .text-125[ Fox, A.M., Katz, C.M., Choate, D.E., & Hedberg, E.C. (2015) Evaluation of the Phoenix TRUCE project: A replication of Chicago CeaseFire. *Justice Quarterly*, 32(1) ] --- ## STUDY 3 .text-125[ Bhatt M.P., Heller, .S.B, Kapustin, M., Bertrand, M., & Blattman, C. (2024) Predicting and preventing gun violence: An experimental evaluation of READI Chicago. *Quarterly Journal of Economics*, 139(1) ] --- ## STUDY 4 .text-125[ Hureau, D.M., Braga, A.A., Lloyd, T., & Winship, C. (2023) Streetwork at the crossroads: An evaluation of a street gang outreach intervention and holistic appraisal of the research evidence. *Criminology*, 61 ] --- ## STUDY 5 .text-125[ Corburn, J., Boggan, D., Muttaqi, K., & Vaughn, S. (2022) Preventing urban firearm homicides during COVID-19: Preliminary results from three cities with the Advance Peace program. *Journal of Urban Health*, 99 ] --- ## STUDY 6 .text-125[ Picard-Fritsche, S. & Cerniglia, L. (2013) *Testing a public health approach to gun violence: An evaluation of Crown Heights Save Our Streets, a replication of the Curve Violence model.* New York, NY: Center for Court Innovation ] --- ## STUDY 7 .text-125[ Buggs, S.A., Webster, D.W., & Crifasi, C.K. (2022) Using synthetic control methodology to estimate effects of a Cure Violence intervention in Baltimore, Maryland. *Injury Prevention*, 28 ] --- ## STUDY 8 .text-125[ Boyle, D.J., Lanterman, J.L., Pascarella, J.E., & Cheng, C-C. (2010) The impact of Newark's Operation Ceasfire on trauma center gunshot wound admissions. *Justice Research and Policy*, 12(2) ] --- ## STUDY 9 .text-125[ Ross, M.C., Ochoa, EM., & Papachristos, A.V. (2023) Evaluating the impact of a street outreach intervention on participant involvement in gang violence. *PNAS*, 120(46) ] --- ## STUDY 10 .text-125[ Webster, D.W., Whitehill, J.M., Vernick, J.S., & Curriero, F.C. (2012) Effects of Baltimore's Safe Streets program on gun violence: A replication of Chicago's CeaseFire program. *Journal of Urban Health*, 90(1) ] --- ## STUDY 11 .text-125[ Braga, A.A., Kennedy, D.M., Waring, E.J., & Piehl, A.M. (2001) Problem-oriented policing, deterrence, and youth violence: An evaluation of Boston's Operation Ceasefire. *Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency*, 38(3) ] --- ## STUDY 12 .text-125[ Park, J., Schoenberg, F.P., Bertozzi, A.L., & Brantingham, P.J. (2021) Investigating clustering and violence interruption in gang-related violent crime data using spatial-temporal point processes with covariates. *Journal of the American Statistical Association*, 116(536) ] --- ## STUDY 13 .text-125[ Brantingham, P.J., Tita, G., & Herz, D. (2021) The impact of the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) comprehensive strategy on crime in the City of Los Angeles. *Justice Evaluation Journal*, 4(2) ] --- ## STUDY 14 .text-125[ Wilson, J.M. & Chermak, S. (2011) Community-driven violence reduction programs: Examining Pittsburgh's One Vision One Life. *Criminology & Public Policy*, 10(4) ] --- class: inverse # Wrap-Up &nbsp; ## [Seminar today!](https://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/events/lent-term-public-seminar-professor-joe-murray)