An introduction to the pathbreaking work that earned Joshua Angrist the Nobel Prize in economics.

In the social sciences, it is surprisingly hard to tell if something caused something else: did a particular policy have its intended consequences? Or are the consequences the result of a fortuitous occurrence of some other causing event? Professor Angrist explains, with engaging examples, the modern ways in which economists can tell.

Meet our speaker and chair

Joshua Angrist (@metrics52) is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT, a co-founder and director of MIT's Blueprint Labs, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has developed innovative ways to harness the power of natural experiments to answer important economic questions, transforming empirical research. These new econometric tools help social scientists and policy-makers discover the causal effects of choices and policy changes. Angrist received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2021 (with Co-Laureates Guido Imbens and David Card).

*Photo courtesy of MIT Blueprint Labs

Francesco Caselli is Norman Sosnow Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics at LSE.

More about this event

The Department of Economics (@LSEEcon) is one of the largest economics departments in the world. Its size ensures that all areas of economics are strongly represented in both research and teaching.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEAngrist