Synthetic Control and Clustering

In this course, we will cover the fundamentals of synthetic control estimation and inference, with special emphasis on actionable guidance for applied research. We will discuss seven crucial guiding principles for empirical studies using synthetic controls and how these principles are applied in practice. Towards the end of the course, we will change topics to address “the” FAQ of econometrics office hours: When and how should we cluster standard errors?

Sign-up today to ensure access to this workshop.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Attendance to the workshop with Prof. Alberto Abadie.
Complete set of example code to implement the methods discussed.
PDF lecture slides and video recordings for later reference.

Our workshop will bring you to the cutting edge

April 27th

Day 1 • 6pm-9pm EST

Synthetic Control

April 28th

Day 2 • 6pm-9pm EST

Clustering

Who will be hosting this session?

Alberto Abadie is an econometrician and empirical microeconomist with broad disciplinary interests. Professor Abadie received his Ph.D. in Economics from MIT in 1999. Upon graduating, he joined the faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was promoted to full professor in 2005. He returned to MIT in 2016, where he is Professor of Economics and Associate Director of the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS).

His research areas are econometrics, statistics, causal inference, and program evaluation. Professor Abadie's methodological research focuses on econometric methods to estimate causal effects and, in particular, the effects of public policies, such as labor market, education, and health policy interventions. He is Associate Editor of AER: Insights, and has previously served as Editor of the Review of Economics and Statistics and Associate Editor of Econometrica and the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are discounts available?: Yes! Students, postdocs, predocs and residents of middle-income countries can attend for $50 plus a few dollars in fees. To receive your promo code, please include a photo of your student ID. International folks from low-income countries can attend for $1. To receive promo codes, email us at causalinf@mixtape.consulting.
How do I access the material I need for the course?: The course material will be availabe forever on Github. We will also send you links to the video recordings on Vimeo after the workshop is completed.
How long will it take me to master this?: That's a great question. Causal inference, and econometrics more generally, is largely a “returns to experience” type of skill as much as it is a returns to education. The best way for you to learn anything in these classes is to work on projects that require it. Our class is designed as a fast track to both.
Will we practice programming?: Yes, I will distribute assignments with readings with directions the night before. We will then do these together in a coding lab that lasts approximately 75 minutes. I will do the assignments too in real time coding so that you can see how I approach these things. We will help each other in Discord, asking questions, pointing out mistakes I'm making, and helping one another problem solve. I will usually assign more than we can do that faster workers always have something to work on. And in the end, I will distribute the solutions. It'll be fun I promise!
Will there be recordings?: We will upload recordings to Vimeo and they will be password protected, so that only attendees can watch the videos.
How will I communicate to you during the workshop?: We will use Discord to communicate with one another. I will have a second monitor open so that I can see what you say. My experience has been positive with this kind of setup. Many people seem willing to talk by chat in ways they wouldn't verbally. Also participants tend to not think they are interrupting the speaker when they ask questions.
I'm nervous that I can't handle the difficulty of the class.: Don't be. I'm a good teacher. If I can learn this, so can you.
How should I prepare?: I encourage you to read my book, Causal Inference: The Mixtape which is available online for free here. Whenever possible, then read the underlying articles that interest you to go deeper.
I don't have a Stata license. It's too expensive. What do I do?: No worries! Stata has graciously provided a temporary license for all participants. Before the workshop starts, I will distribute to all of you your license so that you can have it.
Are there office hours?: If you are paying the full price, you get 30 minutes of office hours per workshop. So if someone paid for the bundled workshops, you would get 1 hour. I will be creating a calendy app with times so that you can sign up for office hours over the semester. We can talk about whatever you want.