This course is about quantitative policy evaluation, i.e. the statistical analysis of outcomes affected by public policies.
It will be taught online. First meeting online will be on 14 April, 14.00 h, via Zoom. Participants will be notified.
I am teaching this course because I believe that all Master graduates in political science should be able to understand and conduct the evaluation of public policies. The methods that we will learn can be used not only in public policy but also any kind of systematic programme or intervention (e.g. within an organisation). Students will thus be able to assess any kind of programme, intervention or public policy, a very important transferable skill. We will look at established analyses, both very good and very bad examples, and reproduce some of the analyses. We will use Stata and R. You should have some basic knowledge of some syntax-based statistical software or computer language. If you have absolute no knowledge of syntax whatsoever, but are statistically up2scratch (a rare combination), please send me an e-mail, so that we can see whether you can go through a self-taught course.
This is an optional course for all Master students in political science. If you want to take part in this despite already having earned the ECTS points, you can do so, too, if there is enough space (I will certify your participation), but you have to follow the whole course with the full workload.
You should like numbers and statistical analyses because the course is not for the statistically faint-hearted. Students who took my course MA lecture in political sciene methods are well equipped for this course. We will look at observational, quasi-experimental and experimental analyses.
If you want to benefit from a cutting-edge course in applied methods and public policy analysis, in an intensive interactive peer2peer environment and with a teacher who genuinely cares about analytical political science and your individual progress, this is the course for you. The workload will be 5 ECTS, i.e. 150 working hours, not more and not less. You have to prepare classes and submit written and oral pieces fo work.
If you want to lay back and earn your ECTS without any real effort, this may not be your best choice.
The course takes place on seven Wednesdays in long slots between 1400 and 1800, starting on April 14th and ending on May 26th.
All material will be in English. English will be the language that we will converse in unless every participant will have grown up in a German-speaking environment. Written submissions can only be in German if all those who will read them have a good command of it.
Participation is mandatory. Students cannot miss even one session.
First come, first serve. The seminar is capped at 20 participants.
Many thanks |
