ECON 523
Program Evaluation for International Development Spring 2025
Division II
Cross-listed

Causal inference techniques that can be used to evaluate the effects of social policies are at the core of modern empirical microeconomics. These tools are increasingly relevant to development organizations, which face strict competition for scarce resources. Both public and private organizations are moving toward using rigorous program evaluation techniques to justify funding for their programs and to design more effective interventions. This course is an introduction to evaluation methodology and the tools available to development practitioners and policymakers, drawing on examples from developing countries. It will cover a wide range of experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation techniques including randomized trials, difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity. The course is a mix of applied econometrics and practical applications covering implementation, analysis, and interpretation.