Syllabus

Title
1912 Field Course: Economic and Social Policy - Program Evaluation
Instructors
Prof. Dr. Ansgar Wübker
Contact details
Prof. Dr. Ansgar Wübker, awuebker@hs-harz.de
Type
PI
Weekly hours
3
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
09/17/24 to 09/22/24
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Master Programs
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Tuesday 10/01/24 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM D4.0.127
Tuesday 10/01/24 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM D4.0.127
Wednesday 10/02/24 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM D4.0.019
Wednesday 10/02/24 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM D4.0.019
Friday 10/04/24 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM D4.0.127
Friday 10/04/24 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM D4.0.127
Wednesday 10/23/24 05:00 PM - 07:30 PM D4.0.019
Wednesday 12/11/24 02:00 PM - 06:00 PM LC.-1.038
Friday 12/13/24 12:00 PM - 02:30 PM LC.2.064 PC Raum
Friday 12/13/24 03:30 PM - 06:30 PM LC.2.064 PC Raum
Saturday 12/14/24 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM LC.-1.038
Saturday 12/14/24 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM LC.-1.038
Contents

This class introduces to methods and theory of program evaluation in health policy and social policy. It comprises three main parts:

Module 1: Introduction to Program Evaluation:

  • Paradigms and typologies of program evaluation
  • Describing and eliciting a Program Theory
  • The social and political context of program evaluation
  • Planning an evaluation

Module 2: Quantitative methods for Impact Evaluation

  • The Potential Outcomes Framework
  • Field experiment, Instrumental variables, Matching methods, Regression Discontinuity Designs, Difference-in Difference Designs

Module 3: Methods for Economic Evaluation

  • Cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility analysis
Learning outcomes

After this course students are ...

  • aware of the importance of the program theory to understand how and why a program works or fails to work,
  • familiar with the components of an evaluation plan,
  • aware of the importance of the social context of program evaluation,
  • familiar with the causality concept in impact evaluation and its prerequisites,
  • familiar with different econometric approaches to identify program effects,
  • familiar with different approaches how to relate program benefits to its costs and draw conclusions about efficiency,
  • able to critically reflect on different methods of impact and economic evaluation in terms of their limitations and benefits.
Attendance requirements

This being a ‘course with continuous assessment (PI)’, the University requires students to attend at least 80% of the time of the scheduled course units for completing the course successfully.

Ideally you attend all units fully. If you are unable to fully attend a unit, please let the lecturer know in advance.

In case online units are scheduled, the same attendance requirements apply.

Teaching/learning method(s)
  • Lectures
  • Examples
  • Group discussions
  • Discussion of distributed papers and examples
  • Application in statistical software (e.g. Excel/R/Stata), exercises & examples
Assessment

Assessment Components (relative weights in the final grade)

  • 40% (Individual) Written exam
  • 50% (Group) project
  • 10% (Individual) active participation

Grade Key (point ranges)

  • 1: Excellent (90-100 points)
  • 2: Good (80-89 points)
  • 3: Satisfactory (65-79 points)
  • 4: Sufficient (50-64 points)
  • 5: Fail (0-49 points)
Readings

Please log in with your WU account to use all functionalities of read!t. For off-campus access to our licensed electronic resources, remember to activate your VPN connection connection. In case you encounter any technical problems or have questions regarding read!t, please feel free to contact the library at readinglists@wu.ac.at.

Availability of lecturer(s)

Right after class or by e-mail. Meetings can be scheduled upon demand.

Last edited: 2024-07-23



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