B2015 - ECONOMETRIC METHODS FOR POLICY EVALUATION

Academic Year 2023/2024

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Economics and Economic Policy (cod. 8420)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Economics and Public Policy (cod. 5945)

Learning outcomes

The course illustrates the most recent identification strategies for the quantitative assessment of causal effects using observational data by referring to micro-econometric applications. It will cover matching and difference-in-differences strategies, and quasi-experimental approaches to identification. At the end of the class, student will be able: - to critically understand the application of these tools in the recent empirical economic literature; - to apply these approaches to design his/her own program evaluation.

Course contents

The problem of causality

Causality in a regression framework

Instrumental variables

Panel data, difference-in-differences, synthetic control method

Regression discontinuity design

Prerequisites: very good knowledge of the standard (OLS) multiple regression model, basic knowledge of panel data, and knowledge of Stata

Readings/Bibliography

S. Cunningham, Causal Inference: The Mixtape

Lecture notes and papers at the Virtuale online platform

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures, paper presentations, Stata programming

Assessment methods

Teamwork: drafting an presenting an original small-scale paper, or replicating an existing paper plus a short oral exam. The maximum possible score is 30 cum laude. The grade is graduated as follows:

<18 failed

18-23 sufficient

24-27 good

28-30 very good

30 cum laude excellent

Teaching tools

Slides, textbook, Stata software

Office hours

See the website of Guglielmo Barone