What is the meaning of this sentence?

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Dear all,I am studying for an exam, but I cannot really understand the meaning of this sentence:"The second prerequisite is that agents are not able to sort across the selection threshold."What is its meaning?This is a part of the paragraph: First, the researcher needs to know the selection into treatment rule, and there should be a discontinuity in how the treatment is assigned.[..] The second prerequisite is that agents are not able to sort across the selection threshold. Such “selection” would by definition invalidate the ability to compare similar individuals in the control and treatment groups on either side of the threshold.Thank you for your help.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

AVWhat is its meaning?

I assume that you know what they're talking about. I don't. If it's the English that's throwing you, it would help to know just what you don't understand. I would have written the sentence differently. For one thing, they call this second thing the second prerequisite, but they didn't call the first thing a prerequisite, so I have to guess there. They fail to use the subjunctive, so I can't be sure, but I would have, if I understand them right. A lot of this stuff is written by a team of non-English-speaking genius scientists who think that one of them can write in English, so it's a wonder it makes any sense at all. I think they mean

"The second prerequisite is that agents not be able to sort across the selection threshold."

This means that in defining the procedure, the second of two safeguards that must be built in is that there will be no opportunity for agents (whoever they are) to sort across the selection threshold (whatever that means).

What is the meaning of this sentence?

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