Presentations

11/2/2016 - Daniele Paserman (BU) - "Gender Differences in Cooperative Environments? Evidence from the U.S. Congress" (joint with Stefano Gagliarducci), at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The title of the presentation is:

"Gender Differences in Cooperative Environments? Evidence from the U.S. Congress" (joint with Stefano Gagliarducci)

Abstract: This paper uses data on bill sponsorship and cosponsorship in the U.S. House of Representatives to estimate gender differences in cooperative behavior. We employ a number of econometric methodologies to address the potential selection of female representatives into electoral districts with distinct preferences for cooperativeness, including regression discontinuity and matching. After...

10/26/2016 - In Song Kim (MIT) - When Should We Use Linear Fixed Effects Regression Models for Causal Inference with Longitudinal Data?, at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Title: When Should We Use Linear Fixed Effects Regression Models for Causal Inference with Longitudinal Data?

===== Abstract =====

Many social scientists use linear fixed effects regression models

for causal inference with longitudinal data to account for

unobserved time-invariant confounders. We show that these models

require two additional causal assumptions, which are not necessary

under an alternative selection-on-observables approach.

Specifically, the models assume that...

10/19/2016 - Tyler VanderWeele - Religion and health: an assessment of causality, interaction, feedback, and mechanisms, at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Religion and health: an assessment of causality, interaction, feedback, and mechanisms

Abstract. A large literature has suggested that religious service attendance is associated with better mental and physical health. Two major questions that have emerged from these studies are: (i) is the relationship causal? and (ii) if so, what are the mechanisms? We present analyses using data from the Nurses Health Study, with repeated measures of religious service attendance, health outcomes, and time-varying confounders, to address these questions with respect to...

10/12/2016 - Sole Prillaman - Strength in Numbers: How Women’s Networks Close India's Political Gender Gap., at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, October 12, 2016

The title is: Strength in Numbers: How Women’s Networks Close India's Political Gender Gap.

In India there persists a striking gender gap in political participation and representation, despite several decades of targeted policy interventions. Women's political participation is important not only on normative grounds of inclusion, but because we know that when women do participate, politics changes. I present a theoretical model of political behavior in rural India which argues that women's...

10/5/2016 - Tina Eliassi-Rad (Northeastern) - The Reasonable Effectiveness of Roles in Complex Networks, at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Title: The Reasonable Effectiveness of Roles in Complex Networks

Abstract: Given a network, how can we automatically discover roles (or functions) of nodes? Roles compactly represent structural behaviors of nodes and generalize across various networks. Examples of roles include "clique-members," "periphery-nodes," "bridges," etc. Are there good features that we can extract for nodes that indicate role-membership? How are roles diffevent from communities and from equivalences (from sociology...

9/28/2016 - Stephen Pettigrew - "The Downstream Consequences of Long Waits: How Lines at the Precinct Depress Future Turnout", at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, September 28, 2016

"The Downstream Consequences of Long Waits: How Lines at the Precinct Depress Future Turnout"

Abstract:

Political scientists have increasingly emphasized the role played by an individual’s identity and life experiences in their patterns of political participation. In this paper, I explore how one particular type of experience–standing in line at a precinct to vote–shapes the turnout behavior of voters in future election. I demonstrate that for every additional hour a voter waits in line to vote, their...

9/21/2016 - Francesca Dominici - Model averaged double robust estimation, at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Title: Model averaged double robust estimation

Francesca Dominici, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health

Joint with: Matt Cefalu, Giovanni Parmigiani, Nils Arvold.

ABSTRACT. Researchers are increasingly being challenged with decisions on how to best control for a high-dimensional set of potential confounders when estimating causal eects. Typically, a single...

9/14/2016 - Tobias Gerstenberg (MIT) - A counterfactual simulation model of causal judegment, at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, September 14, 2016

9/7/2016 - Harvard Office of Institutional Research - "Data, Data Science, and The Research University", at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Title: "Data, Data Science, and The Research University"

Abstract: In our talk we will discuss some of the challenges that may arise while developing a “data science” approach to institutional research in the university setting. Despite these hurdles, with improved data governance and availability, a team with the right skills and outlook, and the support of senior leadership, the transition from a more traditional institutional research function to one representing a data science perspective is not...

4/27/2016 - Dina Pomeranz (Harvard) - "Can Audits Backfire? Evidence from Public Procurement in Chile", at CGIS Knafel K354, Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Title: "Can Audits Backfire? Evidence from Public Procurement in Chile"

Abstract: The government is the biggest buyer in the economy of most countries. At the same time, the public procurement process if often thought to be fraught with waste and corruption. For this reason, many governments try to promote the use of online auctions instead of direct contracting by public entities. We analyze the impact of audits aimed at reducing such malpractice in public procurement on public entities' subsequent procurement practices in Chile. For identi cation, we...

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