PP455
Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis
This information is for the 2024/25 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Mark Schankerman and Dr Jeremiah Dittmar
Availability
This course is compulsory on the Double Master of Public Administration (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳-Columbia), Double Master of Public Administration (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳-University of Toronto), MPA in Data Science for Public Policy and Master of Public Administration. This course is available on the MPA Dual Degree (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and Hertie), MPA Dual Degree (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and NUS) and MPA Dual Degree (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and Tokyo). This course is not available as an outside option.
Course content
The course introduces students to regression-based methods used for the quantitative evaluation of public policies. The course introduces students to basic multiple regression analysis including hypothesis testing, modelling of non-linear relationships, and dummy variables. From there, the course covers a number of regression based evaluation methods to assess the causal effectiveness of policy interventions. These include the use of randomized experiments, natural or quasi-experiments, panel data, difference-in-differences estimation, instrumental variables, matching and regression discontinuity design.
Teaching
This course is delivered through a combination of lectures and classes totalling a minimum of 60 hours across Autumn Term and Winter Term.
Formative coursework
Formative coursework will include weekly problem sets
Indicative reading
Particularly useful textbooks are Joshua D. Angrist and Jom-Steffen Pischke, "Mastering Metrics"; James Stock & Mark Watson, "Introduction to Econometrics"; and Jeffrey Wooldridge, "Introductory Econometrics". The material in the textbooks will be complemented with recent research papers and chapters from other books. A complementary text, which is also available in an online version, is Scott Cunningham's "Casual Inference: The Mixtape" which is a good reference to gain intuition about some of the core causal methods we will study. A full reading list will be distributed at the beginning of the course.
Assessment
Exam (70%, duration: 3 hours, reading time: 15 minutes) in the spring exam period.
Presentation (10%), policy memo (10%) and continuous assessment (10%) in the WT.
Student performance results
(2020/21 - 2022/23 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| Distinction | 19.1 |
| Merit | 37.1 |
| Pass | 34.7 |
| Fail | 9.2 |
Key facts
Department: School of Public Policy
Total students 2023/24: 97
Average class size 2023/24: 13
Controlled access 2023/24: Yes
Value: One Unit
Course selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.