Molly Offer-Westort
Biographic Data
| ID | 1902406 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Molly Offer-Westort |
| GIVEN NAMES | Molly |
| FAMILY NAME | Offer-Westort |
| SIGNATURE | OFFER-WESTORT M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2787-9919 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 10 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
On the Foundations of the Design-Based Approach
The design-based paradigm may be adopted in causal inference and survey sampling when we assume Rubin’s stable unit treatment value assumption (SUTVA) or impose similar frameworks. While often taken for granted, such assumptions entail strong claims about the data-generating process. We develop an alternative design-based approach: we first invoke a generalized, non-parametric model that allows for unrestricted forms of interference, such as spil…
Deep canvassing with automated conversational agents
We test a social media conversational agent for canvassing on the topic of anti-transgender prejudice, replicating and benchmarking treatment effects. In-person deep canvassing is the gold standard for durably changing attitudes on polarizing topics. However, door-to-door canvassing is costly, and many populations may not be feasibly reached in this manner. Campaigns are already conducting outreach using digital tools, including text messages and…
Which frame fits? Policy learning with framing for climate change policy attitudes
How should climate policy be framed to maximize public support? We evaluate the effects of five distinct message frames—scientific, religious, moral, and two economic (efficiency and equity)—on support for climate change policy using a randomized experiment with over 2300 U.S. respondents. Moving beyond pairwise frame comparisons, we adopt a policy learning approach that identifies the most effective frame using cross-validated sample splitting, …
Conversations with a concern-addressing chatbot increase Covid-19 vaccination intentions among social media users in Kenya and Nigeria
Opportunities to govern
The state of American politics would be improved, many argue, if more moderate and qualified people served in government. We investigate what draws such individuals to run, focusing on a dimension of politics that has received scant attention within the candidate-entry literature—the ability of candidates, once elected, to exercise meaningful influence over policy. In a conjoint experiment, we find that the opportunity to wield greater authority …
Gnostic notes on temporal validity
Kevin Munger argues that, when an agnostic approach is applied to social scientific inquiry, the goal of prediction to new settings is generically impossible. We aim to situate Munger’s critique in a broader scientific and philosophical literature and to point to ways in which gnosis can and, in some circumstances, must be used to facilitate the accumulation of knowledge. We question some of the premises of Munger’s arguments, such as the definit…
Battling the coronavirus 'infodemic' among social media users in Kenya and Nigeria
Adaptive Experimental Design
Experimental researchers in political science frequently face the problem of inferring which of several treatment arms is most effective. They may also seek to estimate mean outcomes under that arm, construct confidence intervals, and test hypotheses. Ordinarily, multiarm trials conducted using static designs assign participants to each arm with fixed probabilities. However, a growing statistical literature suggests that adaptive experimental des…
Adaptive Experimental Design
Experimental researchers in political science frequently face the problem of inferring which of several treatment arms is most effective. They may also seek to estimate mean outcomes under that arm, construct confidence intervals, and test hypotheses. Ordinarily, multiarm trials conducted using static designs assign participants to each arm with fixed probabilities. However, a growing statistical literature suggests that adaptive experimental des…
Battling the coronavirus 'infodemic' among social media users in Kenya and Nigeria
Opportunities to govern
The state of American politics would be improved, many argue, if more moderate and qualified people served in government. We investigate what draws such individuals to run, focusing on a dimension of politics that has received scant attention within the candidate-entry literature—the ability of candidates, once elected, to exercise meaningful influence over policy. In a conjoint experiment, we find that the opportunity to wield greater authority …
Adaptive Experimental Design
Experimental researchers in political science frequently face the problem of inferring which of several treatment arms is most effective. They may also seek to estimate mean outcomes under that arm, construct confidence intervals, and test hypotheses. Ordinarily, multiarm trials conducted using static designs assign participants to each arm with fixed probabilities. However, a growing statistical literature suggests that adaptive experimental des…
Gnostic notes on temporal validity
Kevin Munger argues that, when an agnostic approach is applied to social scientific inquiry, the goal of prediction to new settings is generically impossible. We aim to situate Munger’s critique in a broader scientific and philosophical literature and to point to ways in which gnosis can and, in some circumstances, must be used to facilitate the accumulation of knowledge. We question some of the premises of Munger’s arguments, such as the definit…
Battling the coronavirus 'infodemic' among social media users in Kenya and Nigeria
Conversations with a concern-addressing chatbot increase Covid-19 vaccination intentions among social media users in Kenya and Nigeria
Opportunities to govern
The state of American politics would be improved, many argue, if more moderate and qualified people served in government. We investigate what draws such individuals to run, focusing on a dimension of politics that has received scant attention within the candidate-entry literature—the ability of candidates, once elected, to exercise meaningful influence over policy. In a conjoint experiment, we find that the opportunity to wield greater authority …
On the Foundations of the Design-Based Approach
The design-based paradigm may be adopted in causal inference and survey sampling when we assume Rubin’s stable unit treatment value assumption (SUTVA) or impose similar frameworks. While often taken for granted, such assumptions entail strong claims about the data-generating process. We develop an alternative design-based approach: we first invoke a generalized, non-parametric model that allows for unrestricted forms of interference, such as spil…
Deep canvassing with automated conversational agents
We test a social media conversational agent for canvassing on the topic of anti-transgender prejudice, replicating and benchmarking treatment effects. In-person deep canvassing is the gold standard for durably changing attitudes on polarizing topics. However, door-to-door canvassing is costly, and many populations may not be feasibly reached in this manner. Campaigns are already conducting outreach using digital tools, including text messages and…
Which frame fits? Policy learning with framing for climate change policy attitudes
How should climate policy be framed to maximize public support? We evaluate the effects of five distinct message frames—scientific, religious, moral, and two economic (efficiency and equity)—on support for climate change policy using a randomized experiment with over 2300 U.S. respondents. Moving beyond pairwise frame comparisons, we adopt a policy learning approach that identifies the most effective frame using cross-validated sample splitting, …
Computer Science (4 works) · Psychology (3 works) · Social media (3 works) · Advanced Causal Inference Techniques (2 works) · Medicine (2 works) · Misinformation and Its Impacts (2 works) · Political science (2 works) · Politics (2 works) · Sociology (2 works) · Test (biology (2 works)