syllabus available at http://home.gwu.edu/~lfbrooks/leahweb/teaching/pppa6022/pppa6022.html

• Apply reduced-form empirical techniques to research questions you develop
• Replicate a published paper
• Know how to apply the tools of policy evaluation
  • Differences-in-differences
  • Instrumental variables
  • Regression Discontinuity
  • Matching
• Read and critique causal arguments in academic papers
• Use statistical software to implement the tools of policy evaluation

• Class announcements will be posted here.

1. Causation and Regression Review
   • Wooldridge, Chapters 2-5, 7 -- highlights
   • Causation handout: Obsesity and exercise [link]
   • Supplemental
     • Helpful overview: Imbens and Wooldridge, 2009. “Econometrics of Program Evaluation,” Journal of Economic Literature. [link]
2. Fixed Effects
   • Wooldridge, Chapter 7, selected sections
   • Black, Sandra et al., 2005. “The More the Merrier? The Effect of Family Size and Birth Order on Childrens' Education” [link]
   • skip III.D.-III.G., and sections V & VI
3. Differences-in-differences
   • Milligan, Kevin. “Subsidizing the Stork: New Evidence on Tax Incentives and Fertility” Review of Economics and Statistics, 2005. [link]
     • Skip Section 5
   • Kelly, Elaine. “A Ticket to Ride: Does Free Bus Travel Promote Active Ageing?” [link]
     • Read through Section 5 only
   • Supplmental
     Bertrand et al. “How Much Should We Trust Differences-in-differences Estimates?” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2004. [link]
4. Hazard Models
   • Why we learn this instead of binary dependent variables
   • Selected reading, sections TBA, Applied Survival Analysis
   • Brooks, Leah, et al. “Spending Within Limits,” Working Paper, 2013. [link]
   • Section 1 only.
5. Instrumental Variables I
   • Wooldridge, Chapter 15
   • Angrist and Kreuger, “Does Compulsory School Attendance Affect Schooling and Earnings?”, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1991. [link]
6. Instrumental Variables II
   • Weak instruments
   • Bound, Baker and Jaeger, “Problems with Instrumental Variables Estimation When the Correlation Between the Instruments and the Endogeneous Explanatory Variable is Weak,” Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1995. [link]
   • An entertaining lament from David Jaeger on the fate of this critique
7. Regression Discontinuity I
   • Lee and Lemiuex, “Regression Discontinuity Designs in Economics,” NBER Working Paper 14723, 2009. [link]
   • Read only through Section 3.3.
   • Keys, et al, “Did Securitization Lead to Lax Screening?” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2010. [link]
   • Pages 307-334; focus on regression discontinuity design
8. Regression Discontinuity II
   • Turner, Lesley, “The Road to Pell is Paved with Good Intentions: The Economic Incidence of Federal Student Grant Aid” U of Maryland Working Paper, 2013. [link]
   • Sections 5 and 6 are optional
9. Matching I
   • Todd, Petra, “A Practical Guide to Implementing Matching Estimators,” Unpublished notes, 1999. [link]
   • Brooks, Leah, “Volunteering to be Taxed: Business Improvement Districts and the Provision of Public Safety”, Journal of Public Economics 2008. [link]
   • Ignore Section 6
10. Matching II: Synthetic Controls
    • Abadie, Diamond and Hainmueller, “Synthetic Control Methods for Comparative Case Studies: Estimating the Effect of California's Tobacco Control Program,” Journal of the American Statistical Association, 2009.[link]
11. Catch-up/Requests
    • Either left-overs from previous classes, or requests, time permitting
12. Student Presentations
13. Student Presentations
14. Structural Estimation
    • Steve Laufer, Federal Reserve Board, “Equity Extraction and Mortgage Default.” [link]

1. Problem Sets (10%)
   • Problem sets are designed to practice the skills we learn in class
   • And to help you prepare with Stata for writing the paper
   • Turn them in at the beginning of class that they are due
   • Any problem set turned in after that receives half-credit
   • Problem sets should be typed
   • You're welcome to work with others, but you should each turn in your own work, in your own words
2. Research Paper (70%)
   • 10 to 15 pages; no more than 15 pages
   • Paper is due at the final class, in class
   • Extensions will be given only the case of illness
   • Essays will be graded out of 100 points
   • Any essays submitted late will decline by ten points for each twelve hours the essay is late, e.g. if the essay is due on Friday and is received Monday, if it would have received 70%, it now receives 30%
   • To make sure you are on-track, we have two way-markers that each count for five percentage points of the paper grade
     • A proposal due January 29
     • Evidence that you've made progress on the quantitative front, due March 26
     • Late work for these way-marker projects receives a grade of zero
3. Paper Summaries (10%)
   • For the semester, each of you will write three paper summaries
   • I'll randomly assign you to a week; feel free to trade weeks amongst yourselves
   • Write a one page summary of the paper we are discussing that week, and offer a critique
   • Assignments:

     Student	Paper 1	Paper 2	Paper 3
     AA	2	5	7
     SB	4	9	8
     GC	2	6	8
     EH	3	6	10
     CK	10	5	6
     CL	3	4	7
     YW	9	5	7

4. Class Participation (5%)
5. Presentation on research paper (5%)
   • Comments on your classmates' presentations (2.5%)
   • Your presentation (2.5%)

• Research Paper
  • Instructions for One-Page Proposal
  • List of Presentation Dates
  • Instructions for Display of Quantitative Progress
  • Instructions for Final Paper and Presentation
  • Public Finance Review's Call for replications
  • Final paper instructions
• Problem Set 1
  • problem set itself
  • answers, and do file
• Problem Set 2
  • problem set itself
  • answers and do file
• Example presentations
  • Lesley Turner's paper
  • My BIDs paper

• The Syllabus
  This syllabus is your guide to the course. If any questions arise, please check the syllabus before contacting me or the TA. Sound educational practice requires flexibility and I may revise content and requirements during the semester.
• Late or Missed Class
  If you are late or absent from class, it is your responsibility to obtain all announcements, assignments, and handouts from Blackboard or from your classmates.
• Submission of Written Work Products Outside of the Classroom
  It is your responsibility to ensure that I receive your assignment on time. It is not permissible to submit assignments on the digital dropbox of Blackboard unless I tell you so.
• Collaboration on Assignments
  Statistical work can be conducted in groups; however, you are expected to write up your answers individually.
• Submission of Written Work Products after Due Date
  All work must be submitted by the assigned due date in order to receive full credit. Only extreme circumstances warrant exceptions. Late assignments will be marked down for each day that they are late.
• Academic Honesty
  All examinations and other graded work products are to be completed in conformance with the George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity (see http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html ). Note especially the definition of plagiarism: “intentionally representing the words, ideas, or sequence of ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise; failure to attribute any of the following: quotations, paraphrases, or borrowed information.”
• Incompletes
  You must consult with me to obtain an incomplete no later than the last day of classes in the semester. At that time, we will both sign the CCAS contract for incompletes and submit a copy to the School Director. Please consult the TSPPPA Student Handbook or visit this link for the complete CCAS policy on incompletes.
• Changing Grades After Completion of Course
  No changes can be made in grades after the conclusion of the semester, other than in cases of clerical error.
• Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
  If you need extra time on exams or assignments due to a disability, let me know in the first week of class. In order to receive accommodations on the basis of disability, you’ll need to provide proper documentation to the Office of Disability Support Services, Marvin Center 436, 202-994-8250. Accommodations will be made based upon the recommendations of the DSS Office.
• University Counseling Center
  The University Counseling Center (UCC), 202-994-5300, offers 24/7 assistance and referral to address students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. Services for students include: crisis and emergency mental health consultations; confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and referrals