Experimental studies are often considered the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of public programs, but exploiting an existing lottery can be challenging, requiring researchers to understand all components of the process and its implementation. Moreover, researchers must assess whether the lottery provides an opportunity for clearly identifying treatment effects, for example, by considering the share of applicants who accept the offer of services and whether they continue in the program. In this paper we present details on the lottery used to allocate affordable housing in New York City and the lease-up process that follows. We discuss the implications for conducting experimental and quasi-experimental studies that leverage lotteries to identify comparison groups.
