Causal Methods for Evaluating Policy (310-0-20)

Instructors

Ofer Malamud

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall 345: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Do smaller classrooms increase test scores? Does moving to a better neighborhood improve adult outcomes? Are home computers beneficial for children? You've probably heard that correlation does not imply causation, but what does that really mean? And how can we best answer these types of causal questions? This course will provide students with a framework for understanding causal inference and a toolkit for making causal claims using quantitative data. Students will read original research papers from different disciplines and conduct statistical analysis using real-world quantitative data. By the end of the course, students should be able to interpret the results of quantitative studies, evaluate causal claims, and estimate causal effects using statistical software.

Registration Requirements

SESP 210 or an equivalent course is a prerequisite for this course.

Evaluation Method

Problem sets, short-response papers, and an exam/paper

Class Materials (Required)

Optional purchase of a 6-month Stata license ($48) or use it for free on NU Workspace

Class Attributes

Prerequisites apply, see description

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisites: Students need to have taken SESP 210-0 or any 200-level STATS course