Meituan Technology Team

Jun 19, 2025 · Fundamentals

How to Evaluate Policies Without Experiments: Synthetic Control, Matching, and Causal Impact Explained

Observational research methods—synthetic control, matching, and Causal Impact—offer powerful alternatives to randomized experiments, enabling businesses like Meituan to assess policy effects despite legal and operational constraints, with detailed principles, applications, advantages, limitations, and practical case studies illustrated throughout the guide.