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ECON50580

Academic Year 2026/2027

PhD Econometrics 2 (ECON50580)

Subject:
Economics
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Economics
Level:
5 (Doctoral)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Eoghan O'Neill
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This course covers state-of-the-art methods of causal inference.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

- develop credible identification strategies
- critically evaluate methods of causal inference
- apply methods of causal inference to answer economic questions

Indicative Module Content:

The course will cover the following:

Basics of causality
Directed acyclical graphs & potential outcomes
Difference-in-Difference estimation
Regression discontinuity
Synthetic controls
Limited dependent variables
Propensity score analysis (time permitting)

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Autonomous Student Learning

176
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Active learning (replication exercise)
Problem-based learning (final exam)
Critical reflection (homework assignments)
Presentation skills (replication exercise)

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Requires prior knowledge of advanced econometrics. Students should have taken PhD Econometrics 1.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Additional Information:
It is recommended that students have taken PhD Econometrics I before taking this course. However, this is not strictly necessary. The minimum requirement is M.Sc-level econometrics and/or statistics. When in doubt, contact the module coordinator.


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Periodic homework assignments throughout the term - not sure on exact weeks at this point. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9 Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% No
10
 No
Exam (In-person): In person final exam Week 14 Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% No
50
 No
Individual Project: Each student will replicate the main finding in a recent working / published paper in their field. Students will do a small extension, and they will present their results. Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% No
40
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Assoc Professor Stefanie Haller Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33 Tues 14:00 - 15:50
Spring Presentation Offering 1 Week(s) - 33 Tues 16:00 - 17:50
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