Ateneo - UPO

The course focuses on the application of statistical methods for causal inference estimation applicable to the evaluation of public programs and policies, and to the evaluation of strategic business choices. The course is divided into a theoretical module and an application module which involves the use of the statistical software "STATA".

Booklets prepared by the instructor and downloadable from the DIR web site (additional study material s also available in English)

By the end of the course the students should be able to implement statistical models to generate empirical evidence to evaluate the causal impact of public programs and business strategic choices.

In order to best understand the topics of the course it is advisable (but not mandatory) to have previously passed a statistics course.

In class lectures with powepoint slides and the use of statistical software packages (STATA) or datasheet programmes (EXCEL).

All the course material and information can be downloaded from the DIR section of the DIGSPES web site

Written test that requires the students to solve problems and/or case studies.

Part I
This part aims at teaching students how to develop the appropriate statistical models for producing empirical evidence on the impacts of public policies and programs and of business strategic choices.
List of topics:
1. How to use multiple regression models to evaluate the impacts of the strategic choices of the firms;
2. Analysis of business panel data: fixed effects estimators, first and long differencing;
3. Selection and omitted variable bias
4. Non-parametric estimators, diffference in difference techiniques;
5. Shift share analysis;
6. Evaluation designs with non-esperimental data;
7. Multiple regression analysis with qualitative information (binary dependent variables): probit and logit models

Part II
Estimation of the models of part I through the software STATA

The students are expected to be able to understand and apply the main statistical methods to empirically evaluate the effects of the strategic decisions of the firms. The students are also expected to posses the basic skills to programme the statistical analyses on the STATA software