The course provides up-to-date methodological knowledge, together with the corresponding intuition and the related skills in handling software, interpreting results and presenting those results. Students successfully completing this course should be able to assess studies’ ability to gauge causal effects, understand the methodology of an evaluation study, including its fine details, and they should be able to form a well-grounded judgment about its value. They should be able to judge whether the evaluation was carried out in a methodologically sound way given the circumstances, and they should be able to form an educated opinion on how much credibility one should give to its conclusions.

Students who complete this course should be able to design an evaluation study using the methods covered in the course (e.g., Linear regression analysis, Matching, Instrumental Variables, Regression Discontinuity, Differences-in-Differences). They should also be able to perform an impact evaluation analysis using these methods.

The course will be a mixture of lectures and computer-based exercises.

All students admitted to the DIBT, the PhD in International Business Taxation, are able to participate in this lecture.