AØKA08225U Applied Econometric Policy Evaluation (p)

Volume 2023/2024
Education

MSc programme in Economics – elective course

Bacheloruddannelsen i økonomi – Prioriteret valgfag på 3. år (angivet med et p)

The Danish BSc programme in Economics - prioritized elective at the 3rd year (symbolized by ‘p’)

From spring 2023 the course is also offered to students at the

- Master Programmes in Political Science

- Master Programmes in Sociology

- Master Programme in Global Development

- Master Programme in Social Data Science

Enrolled students register the course through the Selfservice. Please contact the study administration at each programme for questions regarding registration.

 

The course is open to:

  • Exchange and Guest students from abroad
  • Credit students from Danish Universities
  • Open University students
Content

The aim of the course is to develop knowledge, skills and competences that enable students to provide answers to real applied econometric problems rather than just econometric theory, and in this way prepare students to carry out their own empirical analyses.

 

The course is divided into four blocks. In the first block, the counter-factual setup is introduced and natural experiments and methods assuming unconfoundedness are considered. In the second block, methods based on the availability of panel data are considered. These lectures focus on the difference-in-differences estimator and event studies. Furthermore, since the usual standard errors of panel data estimates are likely to be seriously biased, one lecture will be devoted to consider how to obtain correct (clustered) standard errors. In the third block, regression discontinuity and regression kink designs are dealt with. Finally, in the fourth block methods using instrumental variables are considered. Each of the four blocks will be concluded by a workshop, where the students will get hands-on experience in how to apply the methods.

Learning Outcome

After completing the course the student is expected to be able to:

 

Knowledge:

  • be introduced to the counterfactual set-up and the key treatment parameters we seek to estimate.
  • Understand how the estimated treatment parameters rely on specific identifying assumptions.
  • have learned a list of research designs that have been used in the literature.
  • Understand how arguments in favor of a research design are developed in research articles.

 

Skills:

  • Set-up appropriate evaluation designs matching specific empirical applications.
  • Discuss the identifying assumptions and use regressions or descriptive data analysis to assess the assumptions.
  • Implement an empirical policy evaluation analysis using Stata.

 

Competences:

  • Formulate an empirical research question.
  • Develop a policy evaluation research design.
  • Identify how to exploit variation induced by a policy to set-up a credible research design.
  • Apply the appropriate econometric techniques to the policy evaluation problems using micro data.
  • Develop arguments supporting an identification strategy.
  • Assess the identification strategies in existing research papers as well as in their own analyses.

 

Angrist, J.D. and J.-S. Pischke (2009), “Mostly Harmless Econometrics,” Princeton

University Press .

Journal articles.

Courses similar to Econometrics I at the Bachelor programme in Economics, University of Copenhagen.
The course will consist of 17 regular lectures and 4 STATA workshops.
Most of the necessary econometric theory being taught in the lectures will draw on the Angrist and Pischke (2009) textbook.

Besides teaching the econometric theory, an important part of the lectures is devoted to considering how to apply the methods taught to real policy evaluation problems. Teaching how to develop appropriate research designs will be case-based drawing on examples from development economics, health economics, labor economics, the economics of education, tax policy, and public economics. The course will thus be complementary to many of the other course in the economics programme.

Office hours:
There will be office hours given and informed by the lecturers.
Schedule:
2 hours lectures 1 to 2 times a week from week 6 to 20.

The overall schema for the BA 3rd year and Master can be seen at KUnet:
MSc in Economics => "courses and teaching" => "Planning and overview" => "Your timetable"
BA i Økonomi/KA i Økonomi => "Kurser og undervisning" => "Planlægning og overblik" => "Dit skema"

Timetable and venue:
To see the time and location of lectures please press the link under "Timetable"/​​"Se skema" at the right side of this page (F means Spring).

You can find the similar information in English at
https:/​/​skema.ku.dk/​ku2324/​uk/​module.htm
-Select Department: “2200-Økonomisk Institut” (and wait for respond)
-Select Module:: “2200-F24; [Name of course]”
-Select Report Type: “List – Weekdays”
-Select Period: “Forår/Spring”
Press: “ View Timetable”

Please be aware:
- The schedule of the lectures can change without the participants´ acceptance. If this occure, you can see the new schedule in your personal timetable at KUnet, in the app myUCPH and through the links in the right side of this course description and the link above.
- It is the students´s own responsibility continuously throughout the study to stay informed about their study, their teaching, their schedule, their exams etc. through the curriculum of the study programme, the study pages at KUnet, student messages, the course description, the Digital Exam portal, Absalon, the personal schema at KUnet and myUCPH app etc.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 42
  • Preparation
  • 152
  • Exam
  • 12
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Collective
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written examination, 6 hours
Type of assessment details
6 hours written exam (ITX).
Exam registration requirements

There are no requirements that the student has to fulfill during the course to be able to sit the exam.

Aid

All aids allowed at the written exam.

Students have access to Stata in the Exam House.

Information about allowed aids for the re-examination, please go to the section "Re-exam".

 

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
for the written exam.
An oral re-examination may be with external assessment.
Exam period

Exam information:

More information is available in Digital Exam from the middle of the semester. In special cases decided by the Department, the exam can change to another day and/or time than announced. 

 

More information about examination, rules, aids etc. at Master(UK), Master(DK) and Bachelor(DK).

Re-exam

20 minutes oral examination without preparation time. 

Individual. 

No aids are allowed at the examination.

External assessment. 

 

Reexam information:

More information in Digital Exam in August. In special cases decided by the Department, the re-sit can change to another day, and/or time than announced

More info: Master(UK),Master(DK) and Bachelor.

Criteria for exam assesment

Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the course.

 

In order to obtain the top grade “12”, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.

 

In order to obtain the passing grade “02”, the student must in a satisfactory way be able to demonstrate a minimal acceptable level of  the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.