Your occasional update on our network, upcoming events, professional development and the world of impact evaluation
Dear members,
Thank you to everyone who attended our April seminar with Professor Margarita Moreno-Betancur. We had an excellent turnout of at least 80 attendees, and a great discussion on approaches for handling missing data in observational studies. Thanks to all who joined and contributed to the discussion!
We're excited to welcome our first international speaker, Berk Özler, Senior Economist at the World Bank, who will join us for the next seminar on Monday, June 23. Berk will share his expertise on designing and delivering field experiments, drawing on extensive global experience in poverty, inequality, and human development. A calendar invite with the Microsoft Teams link has already been sent — please check your inboxes!
We hope to see you all online at the next seminar.
Yours in impactful impact evaluation!
The IEPN Secretariat
Network update
What did we learn in our last seminar?
In our April seminar, Professor Moreno-Betancur, Co-Director of the Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit (CEBU) at the MCRI and the University of Melbourne talked about one of the biggest challenges in observational studies: missing data. She emphasised:
- The importance of understanding why data is missing and how visual representations of missing data such as ‘m-DAGs’ can help identify how different patterns of missing data should be handled.
- The limitations of taking a common approach of simply leaving out these participants (complete case analysis) but also that under certain patterns of missingness, complete case analysis can be appropriate.
- Methods to handle different patterns of missingness, like using statistical techniques, such as multiple imputation, to fill in the gaps more accurately.
Upcoming IEPN seminars
We’re looking forward to a great lineup of events over the coming months. Our June and July seminars are fast approaching, and we’re also planning three additional seminars to round out the year – scheduled for September, October, and November. More details about these sessions will be shared as they are confirmed.
Running Field Experiments: Thoughts of a practitioner from two decades of experience
Speaker: Berk Özler
Date: Monday 23 June
Time: 2–3 pm AEST
Location: Microsoft Teams
About the speaker
Berk Özler is Senior Economist in the Development Research Group at The World Bank. He received his B.Sc. in Mathematics from Boğaziçi University in 1991 and his Ph.D in Economics from Cornell University in 2001. Berk has conducted a number of cluster-randomized field experiments on a range of topics, including ways to reduce unintended pregnancies, especially among adolescent females and young women. He has previously worked on poverty and inequality measurement, poverty mapping, cash transfer programs and HIV risks facing young women in Africa.
Berk is a co-founder of and a contributor to the Development Impact blog. This includes their Curated List of Postings on Technical Topics – Your One-Stop Shop for Methodology – a valuable public good for all impact evaluators.
Navigating the Real World: The Promise and Pitfalls of Pragmatic RCTs in Education
Speaker: Professor Sally Brinkman
Date: Monday 28 July
Time: 1–2 pm AEST
Location: Microsoft Teams
What happens when the controlled world of randomised trials meets the messy, dynamic reality of schools? Then after publishing are you prepared for lawsuits, system disinterest and/or desire to change the programs to scale?
In this presentation, Prof Brinkman unpacks the benefits and limitations of conducting pragmatic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in real-world educational settings. Drawing on two compelling examples from her research – an evaluation of infant simulators as a teenage pregnancy prevention strategy, and a classroom-based intervention aimed at enhancing primary students' self-regulated learning – Brinkman will explore the unique challenges of implementation in schools, system supports required, and the illusive translation of results to policy and practice. This session will offer a critical yet constructive lens on pragmatic RCTs, highlighting when and how they can provide valuable insights for education policy and practice – and when their utility might be constrained. Ideal for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in evidence-informed education, this presentation offers both reflection and guidance on the future of experimental designs in complex educational ecosystems.
About the speaker
Professor Sally Brinkman is a social epidemiologist with the majority of her research focusing on societies’ impact on child development in multiple countries. Professor Brinkman is well known for spearheading the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).
Upcoming conferences – are you going?
With several conferences approaching for our network, we are keen to hear who’s attending so we can plan an informal event.
Australian Conference of Economists
Sydney, 6–9 July 2025
Evidence and Implementation Summit
Melbourne, 27–29 October 2025
Australian Evaluation Society (AES) International Evaluation Conference
Canberra, 15–19 September 2025
If you’re planning to attend any of the following conferences, please let us know by completing the short survey. This will help us gauge numbers and plan the event. No names or personal details are required.
Member Directory (coming soon)
We’re excited to announce that a Member Directory is on its way! Hosted on Microsoft Teams and accessible only to members, the directory will help support stronger connection and collaboration across the network.
We’re currently finalising the structure and format with the secretariat, and we’ll be reaching out soon to members who previously expressed interest in joining.
If you didn’t register your interest earlier but would like to be included, don’t worry – there will be an opportunity to join once the directory framework is confirmed. Stay tuned!
Members Collaboration Platform (coming soon)
We’re in the final stages of finalising arrangements to launch the Teams group (our members collaboration platform) – apologies for the slight delay in our plans. We will reach out separately via email to kick things off over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to Tony Bertoia on tony.bertoia@edresearch.edu.au
Reading and links
If you find this reading list interesting or you would like to submit something for the next edition, please contact us at evaluation@treasury.gov.au.
Handling of Missing Data with Multiple Imputation in Observational Studies That Address Causal Questions: Protocol for a Scoping Review. This protocol describes a scoping review to examine how multiple imputation is used in observational studies that aim to answer causal questions.
Conducting clustered randomised controlled trials: Caille, Billot and Kasza discuss the Practical and methodological challenges encountered when conducting a cluster randomised control trial. It highlights common issues such as recruitment issues, contamination, and ethical concerns and offers examples and recommendations to guide researchers.
The “right@home” nurse home visiting program supports better outcomes for families facing adversity; its impact was evaluated through a RCT using linked administrative data at school transition.