This article describes how microsimulation analysis was used to help design a social experiment in two Canadian provinces. The microsimulation was used to choose among alternative program models, to refine the selected model, and to project costs for the Canadian government's program of financial incentives for leaving welfare. (SLD)

Determining which program evaluations in developing countries are appropriate/feasible for randomized experiments to plan and evaluate social programs is discussed. Five threshold conditions are defined. Reviews of experiments from Barbados, China, Colombia, Kenya, Israel, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Taiwan, and the United States illustrate the issues…