Duration
30h Th, 15h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in economics : general (120 ECTS) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course proposes an overview of modern econometric tools for impact evaluation of public policies. The course adopts a "Hands-on" approach through public-policy relevant examples and case studies.
The objectives are twofold:
- To provide an in-depth understanding of the essential concepts and methods involved in the quantitative evaluation of public policies.
- To offer a practical approach to evaluation through the use of data and statistical techniques.
It will be based on
- presentation and discussion of the econometric methods
- practical exercises in class and at home using real data and the methods seen in class
Each method will be illustrated by an example of public policy and its evaluation; the examples will cover a wide range of topics (education, vocational training, employment, taxation and inequalities, environment, pensions, etc.).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the class, students will:
- understand how empirical methods can be used for assessing the impacts of public policies;
- be equipped with the intuition and skills necessary to understand and apply methods of causal analysis to actual data;
- be able to critically assess reports discussing the effectiveness of various public policies.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Applied econometrics I & II, Public finance
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Students are expected to engage by reading the introduction and conclusion of papers discussed before the class and to actively participate during the class. For this reason, in-person participation is mandatory and the class will not be broadcasted.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Recommended or required readings
Angrist, J. D., & Pischke, J. S. (2009). Mostly harmless econometrics: An empiricist's companion. Princeton university press.
Abadie, A., & Cattaneo, M. D. (2018). Econometric methods for program evaluation. Annual Review of Economics, 10(1).
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Additional information:
Grade = 30% (during the semester) +70% (post semester)
2 homeworks (20%)
- The grades count for both exam sessions.
- Have to be given back in time.
- A correction will be provided.
- This part counts for both exam session (January and August)
The objective is to propose a research idea that uses one empirical approach seen in class to tackle a relevant public policy question. The proposal will be presented and discussed during the last class. Students should prepare a presentation slide for presentation in class.
The successful research proposal must include the following components:
- (1) Research question
- (2) Explain why the question is important/interesting
- (3) Literature Review; Explain what is new in your project
- (4) Explain the main challenge to answer the question (e.g., identification problem)
- (5) Explain the data source
- (6) Explain the empirical strategy
- (i) Whether the research proposal includes all the components listed above and explains them clearly
- (ii) The creativity of the question; relevance/importance of the research question
- (iii) Whether the data source/research method is appropriate to answer the question
- (iv) Effectiveness of the presentation (including slide preparation and Q&A)
- The exam will consist of 1/2 of multiple choice questions and 1/2 of open questions
- 2 sessions: one in January, catch-up session in August
You really have to regularly participate in class if you want to earn some points here. For example, you can:
- asking questions during the lectures
- read the articles presented in class before-hand and participate in the discussion
- being proactive during the exercise sessions
You cannot submit the homeworks anymore (same for the oral presentation of the research proposal) and are dependant of the results obtained during the semester.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Malka Guillot: mguillot&uliege.be
Giulia Klinges: gklinges@uliege.be