APPLIED PUBLIC ECONOMICS

This is a research-oriented course held in the second year of the Ph.D. in Economics, held in English. Students will learn how to measure and assess public policy intervention impacts; also, they will become familiar with previous applications of impact evaluation techniques in the economic literature. In line with the educational objectives of the course, the course will strengthen student’s ability to critically analyze results from previous literature and to conduct their autonomous research in applied economics. The course involves hands-on sessions where students will be required to work with the STATA software.

Knowledge and competencies:
- knowledge and understanding of the state-of.the-art evaluation techniques used to identify the effect of particular public policy interventions in the areas of welfare, healthcare and education

Application of acquired knowledge and skills:
- ability to read and understand scientific literature in the area of applied public economics
- ability to design a policy evaluation research
- ability to use specific softwares and programmed routines to apply evaluation techniques

Judgement and interpretation skills:
-ability to critically interpret the results produced in the scientific literature on applied public economics, and in particular public interventions in the areas of welfare, education and healthcare
- ability to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the specific identification strategies adopted.

Microeconometrics (PHD course).

1. The Evaluation Problem
2. Randomised Experiments
3. Observational Studies
4. Selection on observables strategies
5. Matching algorithms
6. Before-After Design
7. Difference in Difference Design
8. Regression Discontinuity Design
9. Distributional analysis of public intervention

Lee, M. J. (2005) Micro-Econometrics for Policy, Program and Treatment Effects, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
A full list of articles to be covered as reading material will be assigned in class.
Lectures slides and additional material will be made available in Moodle during the course.

Assessment will combine
- an individual-specific evaluation assignment to be handed in at the end of the course
- the presentation of an assigned research paper to be held in class.

Lectures and hands on sessions, where students will be encouraged to work in groups to tackle evaluation challenges

Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

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