Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion

Joshua D. Angrist, Jörn-Steffen Pischke

Princeton University Press, Dec 15, 2008 - Business & Economics - 392 pages

From Joshua Angrist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and Jörn-Steffen Pischke, an irreverent guide to the essentials of econometrics

The core methods in today's econometric toolkit are linear regression for statistical control, instrumental variables methods for the analysis of natural experiments, and differences-in-differences methods that exploit policy changes. In the modern experimentalist paradigm, these techniques address clear causal questions such as: Do smaller classes increase learning? Should wife batterers be arrested? How much does education raise wages? Mostly Harmless Econometrics shows how the basic tools of applied econometrics allow the data to speak.

In addition to econometric essentials, Mostly Harmless Econometrics covers important new extensions—regression-discontinuity designs and quantile regression—as well as how to get standard errors right. Joshua Angrist and Jörn-Steffen Pischke explain why fancier econometric techniques are typically unnecessary and even dangerous. The applied econometric methods emphasized in this book are easy to use and relevant for many areas of contemporary social science.

• An irreverent review of econometric essentials
• A focus on tools that applied researchers use most
• Chapters on regression-discontinuity designs, quantile regression, and standard errors
• Many empirical examples
• A clear and concise resource with wide applications

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - hotblack43 - LibraryThing

The book mixes ’ordinary language exposition’ with heavy-duty equations. The contrast is a bit too much. For me. An interesting book, by an accomplished scientist otherwise.

Good policy read

User Review  - elizabibi - Overstock.com

Bought this for a class in public policy good overview a bit highlevel even for a Masters student. There are not enough books out there on econometrics though.

Contents

• Questions about Questions: 3
• The Experimental Ideal: 11
• Making Regression Make Sense: 27
• Sometimes: 113
• 5: 221
• 6: 251
• 7: 264
• 8: 287
• Last Words: 327
• Empirical Studies Index: 335
• Index: 361

About the author

Joshua D. Angrist, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics, is the Ford Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jörn-Steffen Pischke is professor of economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion
• Authors: Joshua D. Angrist, Jörn-Steffen Pischke
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2008
• ISBN: 1400829828, 9781400829828
• Length: 392 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Econometrics