Methodenwoche of the GGG

Workshop 3: Understanding Data-Driven Legal Scholarship: A Stata Workshop about Empirical Legal Studies

Target group: Beginners
Language: English
Available seats: 12

Workshop description:
In this workshop, we will delve into empirical legal research using the standard statistical software “Stata”. The workshop entails two main components: (i) a theoretical understanding of empirical research and (ii) practical application. Throughout the workshop, participants will learn how to interact with empirical papers (e.g. by interpreting regression tables) and will gain proficiency in using Stata for their own projects in an applicable way. They will develop skills in executing basic commands, running loops, merging databases, conducting hypothesis testing, and performing regression analysis. By the end of the workshop, students will be equipped to critically engage with empirical legal studies literature and conduct their own simple empirical study using Stata. The workshop assumes no prior knowledge in Stata or empirical legal research (and is, hence, meant for beginners), but seasoned researchers are more than welcome to join and enhance their skills. Participants are more than welcome to bring their own datasets and apply the skills acquired in the workshop in order to promote their individual research projects. The last day of the workshop will also include individual/group coaching sessions, where participants can get feedback on their research ideas and empirical strategy.

Software:
Participants should be able to use the software Stata on their own personal laptops. Stata test licences will be provided for the duration of the workshop.

Literature:
The workshop will be accompanied by a detailed power-point slide, stata-files and other materials that will be provided to the participants. Below is a partial list of the relevant literature:
General background literature:

  • James H. Stock and Mark W. Watson, Introduction to Econometrics (4TH ed., 2019)
  • Epstein & Martin, An Introduction to Empirical Legal Research (Oxford University Press, 2014)
  • Emanuel Towfigh & Niels Petersen, Economic Methods For Lawyers (Elgar Online, 2015), ch. 7, link
  • StataCorp, L. P. "Stata user’s guide."College Station, TX: Stata Press, Stata-Corp LP(1985)


Specific literature for the workshop:

  • Christopher F. Baum et al., Ivreg2: Stata Module for Extended Instrumental Variables/2SLS, GMM and AC/HAC, LIML and K-class Regression (2023), link
  • Dovilė Barysė & Roee Sarel, Algorithms in the Court: Does it Matter which Part of the Judicial Decision-Making is Automated?, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & LAW, Jan. 2023, link
  • Thomas Brambor et al., Understanding Interaction Models: Improving Empirical Analyses, 14 Pol. Analysis 63 (2006), link
  • Ofer Eldar, A Lawyer's Guide to Empirical Corporate Governance, 27 STAN. JL BUS. & FIN. 1 (2022), link
  • Eberhard Feess & Roee Sarel, Judicial Effort and the Appeals System: Theory and Experiment, 47, J. LEGAL STUD. 268 (2018), link
  • Christoph Engel, Empirical Methods for the Law, J. INST. ECON. 5 (2018), link
  • Roee Sarel & Melanie Demirtas, Delegation in a Multi-tier Court System: Are Remands in the U.S. Federal Courts Driven by Moral Hazard?, 68 EUR. J. POL. ECON. (2021), link
  • Jerg Gutmann, Roee Sarel, and Stefan Voigt, Measuring Constitutional Loyalty: Evidence from the VID-19 Pandemic (Feb. 4, 2022) (unpublished manuscript),
  • Peter H. Schuck, Why don't Law Professors do more Empirical Research, 39 J. LEGAL EDUC. 323 (1989), link
  • Richard Williams, Using the Margins Command to Estimate and Interpret Adjusted Predictions and Marginal Effects, 12 STATA J. 308 (2012), link




Certificate:
To complete the course, participants must submit an assignment that includes: (1) a ca. 10-page term paper, which implements the tools discussed in the course; (2) a detailed Stata do-file, and (3) a data-set. Exact instructions for the assignment will be given to the participants at the beginning of the workshop. Active participation and assignment together are generally weighted as 2 ECTS. Participants who wish to be accredited with 3 ECTS based on an extended assignment must contact the professor upfront to coordinate the details of the task’s extension. Assignments are to be handed in no later than 1 month after the Week of Methods.

Instructor: Prof. Dr. Roee Sarel

Sarel_MeWo_2024_mittel
Prof. Dr. Roee Sarel is a Junior Professor of Private Law and Law & Economics at the Institute of Law & Economics, University of Hamburg. He is both a lawyer and an economist. His dual-background includes a doctorate in Economics from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and degrees in law and business (LL.B & M.B.A) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prof Sarel’s previous positions include two post-docs (research associate at the Institute of Law & Economics in Hamburg; lecturer and experimental economics lab manager at the Frankfurt School of Finance) and an associate lawyer position in a leading law firm (Yigal Arnon & Co. law firm). His research combines empirical, experimental, and theoretical methods and focuses on topics such as law & technology (e.g. AI and cryptocurrencies), climate change, crime deterrence, and judicial decision-making. He has published in both leading peer-reviewed journals (e.g. Journal of Legal Studies) and top law reviews (e.g. Georgetown Law Journal). More information can be found on his personal website: www.roeesarel.com.

Selected publications of Prof. Dr. Roee Sarel:

  • Dovilė Barysė & Roee Sarel, Algorithms in the Court: Does it Matter which Part of the Judicial Decision-making is Automated?, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND LAW (forthcoming, 2023).
  • Eberhard Feess & Roee Sarel, Optimal Fine Reductions for Self-reporting: The Impact of Loss Aversion, 70 International Review of Law & Economics, Article 106067 (2022).
  • Roee Sarel, Crime and Punishment in Times of Pandemics, 54 EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF LAW & ECONOMICS 155 (2022).
  • Roee Sarel, Property Rights in Cryptocurrencies: A Law and Economics Perspective, 22 North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology 289 (2021).
  • oee Sarel & Melanie Demirtas, Delegation in a Multi-tier Court System: Are Remands in the U.S. Federal Courts Driven by Moral Hazard?, 68 European Journal of Political Economy, Article 101999 (2021).