17.800 Quantitative
Research Methods I: Regression
Graduate level introduction
to statistical methods for political science
and public policy research, with a focus on
linear regression. Teaches students how to
apply multiple regression models as used in
much of political science and public policy
research. Also covers fundamentals of
probability and sampling theory.
17.802
Quantitative Research Methods II: Causal
Inference
Survey of advanced empirical
tools for political science and public
policy research with a focus on statistical
methods for causal inference, i.e. methods
designed to address research questions that
concern the impact of some potential cause
(e.g., an intervention, a change in
institutions, economic conditions, or
policies) on some outcome (e.g., vote
choice, income, election results, levels of
violence). Covers a variety of causal
inference designs, including experiments,
matching, regression, panel methods,
difference-in-differences, synthetic control
methods, instrumental variable estimation,
regression discontinuity designs, quantile
regressions, and bounds.
The
Math Prefesher is designed to
introduce and review core
mathematics and probability
prerequisites that you will need
to be successful in the
quantitative methods courses in
the Political Science department
and elsewhere at MIT. In an
intense one-week course, we will
cover key concepts from
calculus, linear algebra,
probability theory, and an
introduction to statistical
computing. The learning will
proceed through lectures,
hands-on exercises, and
homework. The aim of the course
is to give you an opportunity to
practice some of the mathematics
you may have previously learned
and to introduce you to areas
that may be new to you so that
you will be ready to enter
classes that presume prior
familiarity with these concepts,
such as 17.800 Quantitative
Research Methods I.
This course surveys recent
empirical work in political economy. The
focus will be on a variety of active topic
areas including the relationship between
electoral institutions and political
representation, the effect of political
institutions on policy outcomes, and
distributive politics. Studies are drawn
from various geographic areas including
the US, Latin America, India, and Europe.
Special attention will be paid to
innovative approaches to research design
and measurement. Each week there will be
two articles assigned as required readings
and in the class discussion we will
dissect the empirical strategy of these
studies, discuss their theoretical
significance and overall strength and
weaknesses, and examine future directions
for research in this topic area.