Advances in quantitative research methods have led to acceptance that well-designed observational studies can enable causal inferences about the effects of policy interventions on health.
As researchers, reviewers, and editors refine criteria for assessing the appropriateness of causal claims in health policy evaluation research, this JAMA Health Forum Viewpoint emphasizes a critical methodological concern: the proper measurement of law.
The paper identifies and elaborates on four elements of scientific legal measurement to improve quality standards:
conceptualizing the scope of the research;
retrieving the relevant legal texts within that scope;
representing the characteristics of those texts numerically; and
implementing quality control procedures and documentation of the research.
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Authors:
Benjamin A. Barsky, JD, PhD, University of California College of the Law and Harvard University
Alina Schnake-Mahl, ScD, MPH, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University
Cason D. Schmit, JD, Texas A&M University School of Public Health
Scott Burris, JD, Center for Public Health Law Research, Beasley School of Law, Temple University