Causal Inference and Data Science in Economics (2026 Spring) 

Syllabus 

Suggestive Textbooks

• Huntington-Klein, N. (2021), The Effect: An Introduction to Research Design and Causality

• Scott Cunningham (2020), Causal Inference: The Mixtape

• Alberto Abadie1 and Matias D. Cattaneo (2018), Econometric Methods for Program Evaluation

• Angrist and Pischke (2016), Mastering Metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect (MM)

• Angrist and Pischke (2009), Mostly Harmless Econometrics (MHE)

• Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie and Robert Tibshirani (2017), An Introduction to Statistical Learning with Applications in R

Learning Resources 

• Stata

• R

• Latex (overleaf)

• GitHub

Class Data 

• You can get access to the data or program used in this class through this link

Class Slides 

• 2/24

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Course Introduction

• 3/5

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Potential Outcome Framework

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Ep 21: Treatment Effects

      • Ep 22: Conditional Average Treatment Effects

  • Selection Bias

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

  • Data Source

    • Apply Data from SRDA

• 3/12

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Matching Methods

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Ep 35: Matching

      • Ep 36: Five Questions About Matching

      • Ep 37: Distance Matching

      • Ep 38: Propensity Score Matching

  • STATA Section

    • Introduction to STATA

    • Stata Learning Resources

  • R Section

    • Introduction

    • Basic

    • R Learning Resources

• 3/19

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Regression and Causal Inference

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Ep 25: Regression and The Error Term

      • Ep 26: Regression and Sampling Variation

      • Ep 27: Reading Regression Tables

      • Ep 28: Interpreting a Regression Coefficient

      • Ep 29: Polynomials in Regression

      • Ep 30: Logarithms in Regression

      • Ep 31: Categorical Predictors

      • Ep 32: Interaction Terms

      • Ep 33: Your Standard Errors are Wrong

• 3/26

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Causal Machine Learning

  • Fixed Effects Regression

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Fixed Effects

      • Estimating Fixed Effects

  • Homework 1 (due on 4/12, 11:00pm)

    • Please upload your answer sheet and log file to here

    • The format of answer sheet: here 

    • Stata Learning Resources

  • Oral Midterm Exam 1 (during 4/16 week)

    • Guideline

    • Please book a slot: here

    • Please upload your slides: here

  • Latex Template

    • Homework: here

    • Slides: here

    • Term Paper: here

    • 本機端執行的tex檔: here

• 4/2

  • No Class (Intercollegiate Activities)

• 4/9

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Difference-in-Differences Design

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Ep 51: Difference in Differences

      • Ep 52: Parallel Trends

      • Ep 53: Estimating Difference in Differences

      • Ep 54: Supporting Parallel Trends

      • Ep 55: Dynamic Difference-in-Differences

      • Ep 56: Staggered Treatment in Difference-in-Differences

  • Homework 2 (due on 5/17, 11:00pm)

    • Please upload your answer sheet and R script to here

    • The format of answer sheet: here 

    • R Learning Resources

  • Reading Group Presentation (3-4 people)

    • Guideline

    • Please sign up: here

    • Upload your slides: link

• 4/16 week

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Oral Exam 1

• 4/16

• Prof. Po-Chun Huang

  • Synthetic Control Method

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Ep 65: Other Standard Research Designs

• 4/23

• Prof. Po-Chun Huang

  • Regression Discontinuity Design

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Ep 61: Regression Discontinuity

      • Ep 62: Estimating Regression Discontinuity

      • Ep 63: Adjustments to Regression Discontinuity

      • Ep 64: Checking Regression Discontinuity Assumptions

• 4/30

• Prof. Po-Chun Huang

  • Instrumental Variable Design

    • Preview Videos on The Effect

      • Ep 57: Instrumental Variables

      • Ep 58: Instrumental Variable Validity

      • Ep 59: Estimating Instrumental Variables

      • Ep 60: Testing Instrumental Variables Assumptions

• 5/7

• Prof. Po-Chun Huang

  • TBA

• 5/14

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Shift-Share IV Design

  • Oral Midterm Exam 2 (during 5/28 week)

    • Please book a slot: here

    • Please upload your slides: here

  • Guideline for Your Term Paper

  • Guidelines for Final Presentation

  • Concluding Remarks for This Course

• 5/21

  • No Class (School Anniversary Celebration)

• 5/28 week

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Oral Exam 2

• 5/28

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Reading Group Presentation 1

    • Upload your team's slides: link

    • Download slides: link

    • Presentation order: link 

    • Peer evaluation: link

• 6/4

• Prof. Tzu-Ting Yang

  • Reading Group Presentation 2

    • Upload your team's slides: link

    • Download slides: link

    • Presentation order: link 

    • Peer evaluation: link

• 6/11

• Prof. Yang & Prof. Huang

  • Final Presentation

    • Guidelines for Final Presentation

    • Upload your slides: link

    • Download slides:link

    • Presentation order: link

    • Peer evaluation: link

• 6/18

  • Term Paper (due on 6/18) 

    • Guideline for Your Term Paper

    • Upload your paper: link

    • Latex Template

      • 本機端執行的tex檔: here

      • Overleaf端執行的tex檔: here

    • Term Paper Example

      • Example 1: here

      • Example 2: here

    • Table Template

      • Example 1: here

    • Equation Template

      • Example 1: here