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ES52074: Public policy analysis

[Page last updated: 14 August 2024]

Academic Year: 2024/25
Owning Department/School: Department of Economics
Credits: 10 [equivalent to 20 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 200
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Semester 2
Assessment Summary: CWES 60%, EXCB 40%
Assessment Detail:
  • Term paper (CWES 60%)
  • Examination (EXCB 40%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: On completion of this unit, successful students will be able to demonstrate: A good understanding of key economic concepts related to public policy A good knowledge of the policy evaluation methods A working knowledge of the statistical software Stata The ability to carry out a basic policy evaluation


Synopsis: Learn about how to evaluate public policies. You'll explore policies in the context of initial aims and end results. Throughout the unit, you'll study how applied economic tools can be used to evaluate public policies, using real-world case studies in the fields of: - education - health - crime - environment - labour markets - transport safety You'll need a basic understanding of microeconomics and econometrics to complete this unit.

Content: Introduction RCTs and policy Education & Human Capital Overview of the economics of education The impact of compulsory school laws The effect of education policies Environment policies The externalities of air pollution Health and Healthcare policies Labour markets policies The effect of minimum wages Crime policies The economics of crime The effect of polices to deter crime. Transport safety Policy evaluation tools: Regression Discontinuity Design Instrumental variables Difference in Differences (DiD)

Course availability:

ES52074 is Compulsory on the following courses:

Department of Economics

ES52074 is Optional on the following courses:

Department of Economics

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
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