Propensity-score methods and the Lenin School.

Abstract

Although social scientists often use propensity-score methods to study databases that contain substantial amounts of bias and missing information, these techniques have not been applied in the historical literature. This article uses propensity-score matching to investigate the impact of Moscow training on the selection of leadership cadres within Britain's Communist Party. These matching techniques can enable the quantitative analysis of a range of previously underutilized historical data.