The Central Role of Rosenbaum and Rubin’s Seminal Work

Abstract

Abstract:Rosenbaum and Rubin’s seminal work on the propensity score set the stage for decades of subsequent developments in causal inference methodology for use in observational studies. In this commentary, I discuss two specific aspects of their work with particular emphasis on how they have shaped my understanding of causal inference: (1) the propensity score as a data reduction technique, and (2) the importance of drawing parallels between the observational study and the randomized experiment.