The use of difference-in-differences (DiD) in public administration research

This chapter tries to provide an overview of the 'difference in differences' method and to discuss its applications in comparative public administration. It discusses its strengths and weaknesses and when it is appropriate to use it. The chapter first takes a theoretical approach and presents the gist of the method. It then moves to an applied perspective where it reviews several papers which apply this method. Discussing these papers helps in uncovering some of the challenges faced by researchers when applying difference-in-differences and how these challenges can be dealt with.