Experimental Methods and Causal Inference in Social Science Research, 7.5 credits

Aim

The purpose of the course is to provide doctoral students with an advanced understanding of experimental methods and design-based strategies for causal inference in social science research. The course emphasizes experimental design as a research strategy and treats analytical methods as tools for estimating and interpreting causal effects. The course aims to enable participants to independently develop, justify, and critically assess experimental research designs.

Course objectives

Upon successful completion of the course, the doctoral student shall be able to:

• Account for fundamental principles of causal inference and design-based identification.
• Explain the differences between experimental, quasi-experimental, and model-based research designs.
• Describe central types of experiments (laboratory, survey, and field experiments) and their strengths and limitations.
• Independently formulate research questions and hypotheses suitable for experimental testing.
• Design an experimental study with well-motivated manipulation, randomization, and control.
• Critically assess experimental studies with regard to internal validity, external validity, measurement issues, and ethical considerations.
• Apply basic statistical methods for the analysis of experimental data (e.g., regression models, analysis of variance, and average marginal effects).
• Understand the relationship between experimental and quasi-experimental analytical strategies (e.g., difference-in-differences and encouragement designs).

Content

• Causal inference in social science: design-based versus model-based strategies.
• What is an experiment? Manipulation, randomization, and control.
• Experimental design: operationalization, manipulation, control groups, compliance, attrition, and spillover effects.
• Types of experiments: laboratory, field, and survey experiments and their respective advantages and disadvantages.
• Validity: internal validity, external validity, construct validity, and statistical conclusion validity.
• Ethics and practical constraints in experimental research.
• Analysis of experimental data: difference-in-means, regression-based models, analysis of variance, average marginal effects.
• Experiments and quasi-experiments: difference-in-differences, encouragement designs, and related approaches.

Entry requirements

A person meets the entry requirements for the course if he or she has been admitted to a third-cycle study programme and will be given credit for the course in that study programme.

Teaching form

The course is offered as a seminar series consisting of five sessions. Each session combines lectures, literature discussions, and applied exercises.

**Structure:**


1. Causal inference and research design: experiments versus other causal strategies
2. Experimental design and threats to validity
3. Types of experiments and their areas of application
4. Analysis of experimental data
5. Quasi-experimental designs and design workshop

Examination form

• Active participation in all seminars.


• Submission of a written experimental research design (individual assignment).


• Oral presentation of the design and provision of constructive peer feedback.

Grading system

Two-grade scale