BEX5479 Empirical strategies for policy evaluation
Faculty of Business and Economics
BEX5479 Empirical strategies for policy evaluation is a level 5, 0-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Business and Economics, offered in 2027 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 0
- Offered in 2027
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 1 task
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
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Requisites
Before BEX5479
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After BEX5479
No unit lists BEX5479 as a prerequisite in the 2027 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be enrolled in course 0029 or 3194 to undertake this unit.
Overview
Do small classes improve learning? Does the Cashless Welfare Card reduce drug addiction? What are the impacts of Brexit on investment in the UK? These are a few of the questions that you will be equipped to answer when completing this unit. Emphasis is placed on how to design credible evaluation strategies that allow you to provide causal estimates of the impact of a policy. Core topics cover the econometric techniques that should be known by an applied economist, including randomisation, matching, regression discontinuity design, differences-in-differences and synthetic controls. Extensions include quantile regression, mediation analysis, and analysis of distributional impacts. The unit emphasises an intuitive understanding of the validity of each approach, and the use of real data, in the computer lab, as an essential complement to lectures.
Offerings in 2027
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Project100%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
understand the central role of the concept of counterfactual in policy analysis
- 2
understand the importance of randomisation as the credibility standard, as well as its limitations and difficulties
- 3
understand the value of different observational designs.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops36 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. You are expected to complete all pre-class activities prior to your scheduled class, and post-class activities should be completed after your scheduled class. Learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed, peer directed and online engagement activities.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
This unit includes problem-based learning approaches, where you engage in research, integrate theory and practice and apply knowledge and skills to develop viable solutions in response to a problem or set of problems.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Santiago Hermo
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for BEX5479?
BEX5479 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is BEX5479 offered?
In 2027, BEX5479 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is BEX5479?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does BEX5479 have an exam?
No. BEX5479 has 1 assessment task and no exam.