Demystifying Difference-in-Differences: A Powerful Tool for Causal Inference

Event details

This event will discuss the latest developments in the difference-in-differences estimation method literature.

Abstract

The last few years have seen a rapid increase in the use of methods that are specifically designed for causal inference. Among these approaches, the difference-in-differences (DiD) specification has gained great popularity among researchers. This presentation will first provide an intuition behind the use of this approach starting with a linear two-period two-group DiD design for a binary treatment, followed by a discussion around the key parallel trends assumption. Examples of extensions to this basic design from literature will follow such as DiD with multiple time periods, DiD with variation in treatment timing, estimation of heterogenous treatment effects, the triple difference estimator (DDD), and the non-linear DiD estimators.

Biography 

Dr Mehtap Hisarciklilar is an Associate Professor of Economics at CFCI. She has over 20 years of experience in the higher education sector. Prior to her current position, she held academic roles the School of EFA, University of Sussex, Staffordshire University, and Istanbul Technical University. Throughout her academic career, she has taken responsibilities in teaching, research, PhD supervision, mentoring, and leadership. She is a founder member of the ITU Women’s Studies Centre in Science, Engineering and Technology. Mehtap’s research addresses issues within the areas of social inequalities, international trade, foreign direct investment, and firm innovation through application of quantitative methods.

Back to events