[2026 Spring] POLS GA 1251 Quant II

Announcements

  • Syllabus (NB: some parts to be updated): [pdf]
  • No class on the following dates (check back for updates):
    • January 21
    • February 9
    • February 11
  • Midterm (in class): March 11
  • Final (in class): May 11
  • Teaching Assistant: Yinxuan Wang
  • Recitation information:

Lectures

Inferential foundations

  • 1 Introduction to causal effects and mechanisms [pdf]
  • 2 Causal identification analysis with potential outcomes and DAGs [pdf]
  • 3 Design based statistical inference I [pdf]
  • 4 Design based statistical inference II [pdf]
  • 5 Design based causal inference [pdf]

Conditioning-Based Identification Strategies

  • 6 Conditioning to identify causal effects [pdf]
  • 7 Matching and weighting [pdf]
  • 8 Double machine learning for treatment effects [pdf]

Instrumental Variables

  • 9 Instrumental variables basics [pdf]
  • 10 Instrumental variables extensions [pdf]

Partial Identification

  • 11 Partial identification bounds [pdf]

Difference in differences

  • 12 Difference in differences with a single event [pdf]
  • 13 Difference in differences with multiple events [pdf]

Synthetic control and panel imputation

  • 14 Synthetic control for one treated unit [pdf]
  • 15 Generalized synthetic control and panel imputation [pdf]

Regression discontinuity

  • 16 Sharp regression discontinuity design [pdf]
  • 17 Regression discontinuity extensions [pdf]

Experimental design

  • 18 Experimental design I [pdf]
  • 19 Experimental design II [pdf]

Homework

  • Homework 1 (due Feb 17): [pdf]
  • Homework 2 (due March 4): [assignment pdf] [replication files]
  • Homework 3 (due April 15):
    • [assignment pdf]
    • [datasets]. Dataset assignments:
      • student_01: Sahil and auditors/non-registered
      • student_02: Emir
      • student_03: Sebastian
      • student_04: Juan
      • student_05: Amin
      • student_06: Asher
      • student_07: Eoin
      • student_08: Guillermo
      • student_09: Sijie