POLS 5385:  Causal Inference

 

In this class we study the problem of causal inference, the experimental ideal, and methods that attempt to produce causal estimates of policies / treatments from observational data. A basic knowledge of linear regression and stats is assumed. We will study selection bias and internal vs. external validity. We study some problems with regression analysis, then cover 4 quasi-experimental methods which are: Difference in Difference, Propensity Score Matching, Synthetic Control, and Regression Discontinuity

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POLS 5365:  Political Economy of  Institutions 

 

 

This class studies how institutions affect political and economic performance. We will cover varieties of governance, the Bretton Woods Institutions, culture/trust/corruption, the modern impact of historical institutions, sanctions, rent-seeking, state capacity and state failure. The main emphasis is on getting students into writing their own research on one of these topics.

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POLS 3316:  Public Choice 

 

 

Private choice you can do all by yourself, but non-market decision making requires some form of collective action which we usually call politics. Public Choice is the economic analysis of politics. The subject matter is political science, but the theoretical lens of economic analysis is used to examine the behavior of voters, politicians, bureaucrats, and interest groups under various institutional arrangements.