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Elective Courses
Credits

Description:
In this course you will develop a practical understanding of the key methods of causal inference used in modern applied microeconomics such as difference-in-difference, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity designs, and how to apply these methods in Stata. The course will also show you how to assess the validity of each method, e.g. how to show parallel trends for a DD, or how to provide the first stage F-stat for an IV. The course will be assessed by a short term paper where you will put what you have learned into practice by carrying out a small applied research project. PhD students will be additionally required to complete extra exercises. The course will have a workshop element for some of the last sessions, where you can work on the term paper and I will provide help with specific problems. There are no pre-requirements for the course, and there will be an introduction to using Stata, however, an interest in applied microeconomics as well as some prior experience with econometrics and/or programming will be helpful. What won't be covered: we will not cover time series econometrics or any theoretical econometrics. We won't look at any other statistical packages e.g. R.

Time & venue:
Tuesdays, 08:00-10:00; HU Berlin, Spandauer Str. 1, room 025

Exam:
Term paper

Registration:
The BSoE Students can register through their profile via BSoE course registration system or by enrolling on the Moodle page using the password OLS123 by September 29, 2026. External students should register via BSoE Office (bsoe.office@hu-berlin.de).

Please note that, due to the size of the computer room, the course is limited to 40 participants. If there are more than 40 registrations, places will be allocated using a random draw.

Information on course registration

If no other deadline or registration process is given on the course website, the following applies:

Deadline for course registrations (Fall 2026): October 5, 2026
Deadline for exam registrations (Fall 2026): TBA

Berlin School of Economics students

All others