EC963-7-SP-CO:
Public Policy Evaluation

The details
2023/24
Economics
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
20
06 September 2023

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
EC452 or EC501
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

MA L14312 Economics with Public Policy

Module description

This postgraduate module equips students with the tools commonly used in economics to critically assess the efficacy of current policies and the effects of policy changes.


Students will put their theoretical knowledge into practice, closely reviewing canonical applications of these tools in the economics literature as well as performing evaluations themselves.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To enable students to both implement a policy evaluation and critically analyze an existing one.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Apply the core methods used by economists to evaluate government policies in a developed world context.

  2. Compare and contrast the relative strengths and weaknesses of these methods in various contexts.

  3. Demonstrate familiarity with canonical implementations of these methods discussed in the economics literature.

  4. Demonstrate an awareness of the key datasets and practical steps used to gather evidence when evaluating a policy.

Module information

This module introduces students to a variety of econometric methods covering the standard toolkit for public policy evaluation. For each of these methods, the course describes the theory, the advantages and limits as well as existing applications.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • One 2-hour lecture per week.
  • One 1-hour class per week.

Bibliography

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Assignment    100% 
Exam  Main exam: In-Person, Open Book, 120 minutes during Summer (Main Period) 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book, 120 minutes during September (Reassessment Period) 

Additional coursework information

  • The coursework assessment will be a take-home practical assignment.

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
50% 50%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
50% 50%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Quentin Lippmann, email: ql20872@essex.ac.uk.
Lectures & Labs: Dr Quentin Lippmann
For further information, send an email message to pgteco@essex.ac.uk.

 

Availability
Yes
Yes
Yes

External examiner

Dr Domenico Moro
university of Birmingham
Lecturer
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 34 hours, 30 (88.2%) hours available to students:
4 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Economics

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