AØKK08336U Seminar: Economics of Education

Volume 2015/2016
Education

M.Sc. of Economics

The seminar is primarily for students at the MSc of Economics

Content

The purpose of this seminar is to develop the students’ ability to formulate a research question, and answer the question using appropriate theoretical or empirical methods. Emphasis will be on the identification of relevant research questions and the critical judgement of the approach to answer these questions. The main focus will be on the effects of the institutional setting, individual decisions and outcomes, and societal challenges.

Learning Outcome

1. Effects of the institutional setting

The institutional setting (from kindergarten to university) might affect educational outcomes, choices and returns to education. Seminar participants are encouraged to analyze specific elements of the school system. For example: (1) What is the of school starting age? (2) What the effect of class size? (3)  What is the effect of tracking (sorting of students by ability)? (4) How do student grants affect study behavior? (5) What are the effects of performance pay in education?

2. Individual decisions and outcomes

Individuals choose what, how much, when and where to study. What affects these choices and how do these choices affect outcomes such as grades or later life earnings. Seminar participants are encouraged to analyze specific choices. For example:  (1) What affects the choice of taking a gap year and are there later life consequences of taking gaping years? (2) What affects the choice of major and how does this affect later life outcomes? (3) What affects choices of specific courses? (4) What is the return to education and how does this vary by gender, over time or across countries?

3. Societal challenges.

Policy makers might wish to subsidize schooling based on equity and/or efficiency (externalities) arguments. Seminar participants are encouraged to analyze why, how, how much, and when we should subsidize education. For example: (1) What is the optimal level of education? (2) Are there negative or positive externalities from education? (3)  What is the optimal way to subsidize and how much should education be subsidized?

Questions can be answered empirically (typically using micro data) or theoretically.

The following material gives an introduction to the topic. Further references will be provided at the beginning of the course.

  • Costas Meghir and Steven Rivkin: Econometric Methods for Research in Education, In: Eric A. Hanushek, Stephen Machin and Ludger Woessmann, Editor(s), Handbook of the Economics of Education, Elsevier, 2011, Volume 3, Chapter 1, ISBN 9780444534293,
  • Pierre Cahuc, Stéphane Carcillo, André Zylberberg, and William McCuaig. Labor economics. MIT press, 2014. Chapter 4: Education and Human Capital, ISBN: 9780262027700
B.Sc. of Economics and the students should have an understanding of the microeconomics at the level of Hal R. Varian’s "Intermediate Microeconomics” or similar, and knowledge of econometrics at the level of Jeffrey Wooldridge’s “Introductory Econometrics” or similar. The course Economics of Education is beneficial, but not mandatory.
There will be a planning meeting and introductory lectures at the beginning of the semester and presentations at the end of the semester:

The structure of the course will be as follows:
1. Introduction: Introduction meeting: Lecture 1: February 11 15-17. Lecture 2: February 18 15-17. Office hours (voluntary lecture) February 25, 15-17.
2. Student presentation: there will be a 1-2 day workshop in May where students present their term paper (see below).
3. Term paper: students are required to write a 12-page paper on a subject of their choice within one of the course’s main themes. The paper has to be handed in three weeks before the student presentations.
The paper can take various forms:
a. thoroughly analyze and discuss an influential article on the selected topic.
b. own empirical or theoretical investigation of an existing paper, based on the data/theory underlying the paper or based on additional data/theory.
c. propose an experimental design /theoretical strategy to address a new research question on their topic of interest.

The students should agree on the research question and the form of paper with the teacher before the last introductory lecture.

The 3 introductory lectures (2 hours each) will take place in February/March. The workshop will take place in April/May.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Preparation
  • 186
  • Seminar
  • 20
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
A written seminar paper .

Included in the seminar is an oral presentation for the others participans at the seminar of 40 minuts incl. discussion.
Exam registration requirements

Attendance on the seminar. The mandatory commitment paper and seminar paper have been handed in at deadline.

Aid

Al aids for the written seminarpaper.

For the oral presentation: The slices for the presentation. The teather can specifiy what els is allowed.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
up to 20 % censorship at the seminarpaper
Exam period

Deadline commitmentpaper: February 29, 23:59, 2016

Deadline final seminar paper: April 29, 23:59, 2016

Workshop with student presentations and discussions (all day): May 16.th and 17.th, 2016

For enrolled students more information about examination, exam/re-sit, rules etc. is available at the student intranet for Examination (English) and student intranet for Examination (KA-Danish).

 

Re-exam

Submission of a written assignmetn and an oral exam in which you may be examined in the presentations of the other students participating in the seminar during the enrolment period in question.

Criteria for exam assesment

The student must in a satisfactory way demonstrate that he/she has mastered the learning outcome of the course.