In this article, we briefly review the role of the propensity score in estimating dose-response functions as described in Hirano and Imbens (2004, Applied Bayesian Modeling and Causal Inference from Incomplete-Data Perspectives, 73-84). Then we present a set of Stata programs that estimate the propensity score in a setting with a continuous treatment, test the balancing property of the generalized propensity score, and estimate the dose-response function. We illustrate these programs by using a dataset collected by Imbens, Rubin, and Sacerdote (2001, American Economic Review 91: 778-794).

Ignorability, Propensity score, Missing data, Childbearing, Wellbeing,

In many observational studies, the treatment may not be binary or categorical but rather continuous, so the focus is on estimating a continuous dose– response function. In this article, we propose a set of programs that semiparametrically estimate the dose–response function of a continuous treatment under the unconfoundedness assumption. We focus on kernel methods and penalized spline models and use generalized propensity-score methods under continuous treatment regimes for covariate adjustment. Our programs use generalized linear models to estimate the generalized propensity score, allowing users to choose between alternative parametric assumptions. They also allow users to impose a common support condition and evaluate the balance of the covariates using various approaches. We illustrate our routines by estimating the effect of the prize amount on subsequent labor earnings for Massachusetts lottery winners, using data collected by Imbens, Rubin, and Sacerdote (2001, American Economic Review, 778–794).

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