DEC-32806 Impact Assessment of Policies and Programmes

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Mandatory knowledge:

AEP-21306 Econometrics, MAT-20306 Advanced Statistics

Continuation courses:

DEC-30306 Central Themes in Economics of Development

Contents:

Governments, NGOs and the private sector implement numerous projects and programmes to promote development (ie to combat poverty, increase production, maintain natural resources, etc). There is an increased interest in evidence driven policy making and to learn what works and why. Understanding how 'evidence' is created is hence a critical component for academics and policy makers alike. In this course, we go from economic theory to the design of impact evaluations using quantitative methods. Students learn the (dis)advantages of the core methods used in the literature, critically review applications from development economics, and work to design their own. These methods include randomized experiments, matching and panel techniques.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- analyze and evaluate the foundations of impact assessments in economic theory;
- compare quantitative impact assessment methods;
- analyze the quality and appraise the policy implications of impact assessments performed by others;
- design impact assessments;
- investigate impact assessment using existing studies and data.

Activities:

- lectures: attending, studying book/articles, discussion theory, findings and methods;
- tutorials: replication of existing impact assessments;
- discussion groups: students present and discuss relevant studies;
- individual paper: students designing their own impact assessment.

Examination:

- written test with closed and open questions (40%);
- assignments/tasks (20%);
- individual or group paper, article, essay, report and/or design (40%).
Each component needs a minimum mark of 5.5 to pass.

Literature:

To be announced.