Journal of Economic Literature· 2026Q1
Difference-in-Differences Designs: A Practitioner’s Guide
- 28citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
This guide provides an organizing framework for difference-in-differences (DiD) designs, moving beyond the basic two-group, two-period model to address complex empirical practices.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Provides an organizing framework for various Difference-in-Differences (DiD) designs.
- Addresses empirical practices beyond the canonical two-group, two-period model.
- Discusses key elements such as covariates, weights, multiple periods, and staggered treatments.
- The framework is applicable to other extensions of DiD methods.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Difference-in-differences (DiD) is arguably the most popular quasi-experimental research design. Its canonical form, with two groups and two periods, is well understood. However, empirical practices can be ad hoc when researchers go beyond that simple case. This article provides an organizing framework for discussing different types of DiD designs and their associated DiD estimators. It discusses covariates, weights, handling multiple periods, and staggered treatments. The organizational framework, however, applies to other extensions of DiD methods as well. (JEL C23, H75, I12, I38)
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Economic Literature, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Statistics and Probability
Statistics and ProbabilityMathematics