LFU:online

This course is intended for graduate students with an interest in the analysis and evaluation of public policies. The main target audience are students who pursue a career in public sector, international organizations, research institutions or academia; but also for those seek to find employment as a research associate with consulting firms. The course will teach students the theoretical and quantitative concepts needed to evaluate public policies. The emphasis is, however, on application rather than on methods.

Rationale for policy intervention (recap), cost-benefit analysis/cost-effectiveness Analysis (recap), Roy model, the evaluation-problem, encouragement design, external validity, ethical concerns, field-experiments, natural-experiments (non-technical coverage of difference-in-differences, instrumental variables and regression discontinuity designs), recent trends in public policies in the areas of labor, health, education and social policy.

Lecture, discussions and assignments.

Grades are determined by a homework (15%), a classroom presentation (20%), an article report (35%), and a short exam (30%).

A detailed reading list will be provided in the first meeting.