Policy evaluation comprises a set of tools designed to assess whether a public program, such as job training, has achieved its intended results, such as increased earnings. This course introduces undergraduate students to the fundamentals of causality and causal inference, empirical techniques for estimating program impacts, methods for identifying parameters of policy interest, and integration of evaluation findings into policy decision making.

Syllabus

Random
​Assignments

This problem set investigates whether health insurance improves health outcomes through a random control trial.

Problem Set #1

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Regression and Matching

This problem set is based on a LaLonde (1986) paper investigating the effects of job training on future wages.

Problem Set #2

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Difference-in-Differences

This problem set investigates the claim that a tax increase on cigarettes will reduce smoking.
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Problem Set #3

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Instruments and Regression Discontinuity

This problem set investigates whether smaller class sizes improve test scores.
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Problem Set #4

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