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Maria Alice Maia
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Researcher-Practitioner's Toolkit
Making better decisions requires better tools. This category demystifies the powerful methods used in cutting-edge academic research and translates them into practical, actionable frameworks for business leaders and professionals. From causal inference and quasi-experimental designs to advanced preference measurement techniques like conjoint analysis, these articles provide the "how-to" for measuring true impact and moving beyond simple correlations
The Ethics of a 'Nudge': A Framework for Applying Behavioral Science in AI
That last-minute travel insurance you added to your flight booking, or the premium subscription you activated during a free trial—did you...
Maria Alice Maia
Jun 93 min read
Data Lake or Data Swamp? Lessons from Building a Central Data Infrastructure
There are few initiatives that can destroy more capital with less to show for it than a poorly planned data lake. The pitch is always...
Maria Alice Maia
Jun 23 min read
Beyond the Buzzword: A Practical Look at 'Human-in-the-Loop' Governance
"Human-in-the-loop" (HITL) has become the most overused—and misunderstood—phrase in AI governance. It’s waved around like a magic wand to...
Maria Alice Maia
May 263 min read
Startup Playbook: How We Used Dynamic Pricing to Decode Customer Behavior at NaHora.com
Every empty seat on an airplane is a perishable good. The moment the cabin door closes, its potential value drops to zero. The central...
Maria Alice Maia
May 53 min read
What I Learned About Bias in People Analytics (And Why Governments Should Pay Attention)
More than a decade ago, when I was tasked with a Green Belt project at Ambev to build a predictive hiring model, the goal seemed clear...
Maria Alice Maia
Apr 214 min read
A New Touchpoint and Next Steps for our Data Science Insights
Nine months ago, I started this project with a simple, urgent mission: to fix how we use data in business. We began with a deep dive into...
Maria Alice Maia
Apr 72 min read
Synthetic Controls & Beyond: Your Questions on Single-Case Causal Inference
The response to last week's post on the Synthetic Control Method was incredible. The questions flooding my inbox and past week's...
Maria Alice Maia
Mar 313 min read
Expanding the Causal Toolkit | New Method: Synthetic Control Method (SCM) - Feasibility & Requirements
What was the ROI of that massive Olympics ad campaign? Or the real impact of your new flagship store? When you make a huge, one-of-a-kind...
Maria Alice Maia
Mar 243 min read
Revisiting Randomized Experiments: A Comparison Point
Everyone loves to call Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) the “gold standard” for measuring impact. But is the gold standard always the...
Maria Alice Maia
Mar 173 min read
Case Study: Conditional Cash Transfers & Children's Outcomes using an RCT
You’re spending millions on programs, but can you prove they actually work? I’m not talking about pretty dashboards showing a “before...
Maria Alice Maia
Mar 103 min read
From Research to ROI: New Topic - Pre-Analysis Plans (PAPs) & Credibility in Causal Inference
Your consulting team just delivered a brilliant, data-driven insight that will change your strategy. But did they find the truth, or did...
Maria Alice Maia
Mar 32 min read
From Research to ROI: New Method - Robust and Efficient Estimation of Dynamic Treatment Effects
Your new booking platform has been live for two years. You know it created a lift at launch. But what's the real ROI now ? Has the effect...
Maria Alice Maia
Feb 243 min read
From Research to ROI: New Method -Longitudinal Data and the Estimation of Dynamic Treatment Effects
Your new loyalty program launched six months ago. You know the one-month effect on customer spending, but what about the six-month...
Maria Alice Maia
Feb 172 min read
Tech Pros: Don't Just Report Averages, Show the Dynamic Impact of Your Changes
To every data scientist and product analyst: You launched a new feature. You ran a perfect A/B test. You found a 2% lift in engagement...
Maria Alice Maia
Feb 103 min read
The Staggered Rollout Illusion: Why Your Intuitive Analysis of Phased Programs is Likely Flawed.
You rolled out a new CRM to the East region in Q1 and the Central region in Q3. You ran a standard Difference-in-Differences (DiD) model...
Maria Alice Maia
Feb 32 min read
From Research to ROI: New Method - Difference-in-Differences with Variation in Treatment Timing (Goodman-Bacon Decomposition)
You launched your new customer loyalty program in the Americas in Year 1 and in Europe in Year 2. You run a standard...
Maria Alice Maia
Jan 272 min read
From Research to ROI: New Method: Regression Discontinuity in Time (RDiT)
A new regulation forced you to change your product's packaging on January 1st. Sales dropped 5%. Do you blame the new design, or do you...
Maria Alice Maia
Jan 203 min read
Managers: When to Ask for an RD (Regression Discontinuity) Analysis, and When It's Just 'Tech-for-Tech' Overkill
Your data science team just proposed a "Regression Discontinuity Design" to analyze your new sales program. It sounds impressive. It...
Maria Alice Maia
Jan 133 min read
Core Concept: Difference-in-Differences (DiD) - Basic Setup & Parallel Trends Assumption
Your firm rolled out a new project management tool in the Strategy department. You compared their change in productivity to the...
Maria Alice Maia
Jan 73 min read
The 'Kindergarten Data' Trap: Why Your 'Before-and-After' Comparison is Probably Wrong.
Your team launched a new marketing campaign in October. In November, sales were up 15%. Success? Maybe. But you might just be celebrating...
Maria Alice Maia
Dec 30, 20242 min read
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