Causal Inference and Machine Learning in Economics, Social, and Health Sciences bridges the gap between modern machine learning methods and the applied needs of economists, public health researchers, and social scientists. Designed with students and practitioners in mind, the book introduces machine learning through the lens of causal inference, offering a rigorous yet accessible roadmap for using data to answer real-world policy questions. It combines econometric and machine learning methods such as penalized regressions, random forests, boosting, double machine learning, and the most up-to-date estimation methods for addressing selection on observables (e.g., matching, AIPW) and unobservables (e.g., instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, synthetic control). Readers learn how to estimate treatment effects, uncover heterogeneity, and work with high-dimensional data, while gaining clarity on assumptions, trade-offs, and limitations. The book also covers advanced and often underrepresented topics such as time series forecasting with machine learning methods, neural networks and deep learning, and core optimization algorithms like gradient descent. Each method is introduced with intuition, formal treatment, and applied examples from economics, health, labor, and development studies. It places special emphasis on transparency, identification, and interpretability. Beyond introducing models, it provides step-by-step guidance from raw data to estimation, showing not just what works, but how and why—both methodologically and computationally. Unlike many texts that rely on pre–built software or assume deep technical knowledge, this book builds from foundational concepts such as estimation, error decomposition, and bias-variance trade-offs, then progresses to advanced machine learning approaches. Simulation-based pedagogy helps readers visualize model behavior under known conditions, enabling researchers and students alike to see how statistical tools perform acr
...
Read Full Text
