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This course is the first semester of a year-long Quantitative Policy Analysis sequence. It is a fundamental course in the Master of Public Policy degree. The course will focus on quantitative tools to empower students to assess the effectiveness and impact of policy. First semester methods include Ordinary Least Squares, Hypothesis Testing, Logistic Regressions, Instrumental Variables, and Time Series Methods, as well as specification choice, robustness testing, and incorporating uncertainty. The semester will end with Cost Benefit Analysis and Cost Effectiveness. In addition to our core content, each week students will read an article utilizing a quantitative policy analysis method to understand the approach and critique the model assumptions. Homework assignments will put theory into practice and teach students coding skills using STATA. The second semester will introduce additional tools, including natural experiments, randomized control trials, quasi-experimental methods (including difference-in-difference, regression discontinuity, panel data techniques), and a primer on Computable General Equilibrium models. |
