MA-WW-VWL-1350b/D-WW-WIWI-1350b - Economics Methods for Causal Inference
Chair | Economics, esp. International Economics | |
Lecturer |
Prof. Dr. Christian Leßmann |
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Objectives & Content |
The purpose of the seminar is to give an introduction into selected econometric methods aiming at drawing reliable (causal) conclusions from observational data. Endogeneity is a serious issue in empirical economics. Assume we observe the locations of smoke in a city over a couple of years and the places where people frequently observe firefighters. There will be a strong correlation in the data, but what do we learn from it? Does smoke cause firefighters to show up or do firefighters cause smoke? Or is it the fire that causes smoke and firefighters to show up as a result of the fire instead of the smoke? It is difficult to derive a causal interpretation in non-experimental data. The seminar introduces selected methods that provide guidance and applications. Students work in teams and write a joint paper that consists of two parts. In the first part, students describe the main issue and the method at hand including a critical assessment of the method. In the second part, students present an application of the method including a review of related literature. Here, teams may split up so that there is ultimately a joint work on the methodological part and individual parts on applications. Students are invited to suggest alternative papers in the second part depending on their research interests. |
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Forms of Teaching & Learning |
The final grade is a mixture of presentation/discussion (50%), and seminar paper (50%). | |
Frequency |
Summer term | |
More Information | see Opal |