99651 - VALUTAZIONE DI IMPATTO DELLE POLITICHE

Academic Year 2022/2023

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide in-depth knowledge about the main strategies aimed at evaluating the impact of public policies, deepening both theoretical and methodological aspects. At the end of the course, the student is able: a) to understand the logic of the main impact evaluation designs; b) to use evaluation results to inform policy making; c) to identify the most suitable evaluation designs for identifying causal effects of policies in different practical situations; d) to critically evaluate existing studies and discuss the validity of the results, the limitations, and their transferability to other contexts.

Course contents

The lectures are organised as follow:

Lecture 1: Course introduction and description of the objectives of impact evaluation.

Lectures 2-3: Systematic approach; process evaluation, introduction to the causal inference and to the potential outcomes language.

Lectures 4-8: Identification strategies: randomised controlled trials, propensity score matching, regression discontinuity design, difference-in-differences, instrumental variables.

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The lecturer reserves the right to modify the readings list before the beginning of the course.

Lecture 9: The evaluation of educational policies (part 1): compulsory schooling

Barbetta, G. P., Canino, P., & Cima, S. (2021). Let’s tweet again? Social networks and literature achievement in high school students. Education Finance and Policy, 1-64.

De Poli, S., Vergolini, L., & Zanini, N. (2014). L'impatto dei programmi di studio all'estero. Evidenze da un disegno sperimentale. Scuola democratica, (3), 549-576.

Lecuture 10: The evaluation of educational policies (part 2): tertiary education

Martini, A., Azzolini, D., Romano, B., & Vergolini, L. (2021). Increasing College Going by Incentivizing Savings: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Italy. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 40(3), 814-840.

Modena, F., Rettore, E., & Tanzi, G. M. (2020). The effect of grants on university dropout rates: Evidence from the Italian case. Journal of Human Capital, 14(3), 343-370.

Lecture 11:The evaluation of labour market policies

Costabella, L. M. (2017). Do high school graduates benefit from intensive vocational training?. International Journal of Manpower, 38(5), 746-764.

Pomatto, G., Poy, S., & Niccolò, A. (2021). Politiche attive del lavoro ed effetti occupazionali Il caso del Buono per servizi al lavoro della Regione Piemonte. Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, 16(2), 259-293.

Lecture 12: The evaluation of endogenous events (reforms or crisis)

Cappellari, L., & Lucifora, C. (2009). The “Bologna Process” and college enrollment decisions. Labour economics, 16(6), 638-647.

Engzell, P., Frey, A., & Verhagen, M. D. (2021). Learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(17).

Lecture 13: The evaluation of the policies to fight gender inequalities

Bagues, M., Sylos-Labini, M., & Zinovyeva, N. (2017). Does the gender composition of scientific committees matter?. American Economic Review, 107(4), 1207-38.

De Paola, M., Ponzo, M., & Scoppa, V. (2017). Gender differences in the propensity to apply for promotion: evidence from the Italian Scientific Qualification. Oxford Economic Papers, 69(4), 986-1009.

Lecture 14: The evaluation of policies concerning ethnic inequalities

Pinotti, P. (2017). Clicking on heaven's door: The effect of immigrant legalization on crime. American Economic Review, 107(1), 138-68.

Jensen, P., & Rasmussen, A. W. (2011). The effect of immigrant concentration in schools on native and immigrant children's reading and math skills. Economics of Education Review, 30(6), 1503-1515.

Potential addiotional topics:

Theme 1:The evaluation of policies to fight poverty in Western Europe

Schizzerotto, Vergolini, Zanini (2014) La valutazione degli effetti di una misura locale contro la povertà: il Reddito di Garanzia in provincia di Trento, in Rassegna italiana di valutazione, 58,132-164

Kangas, O., Jauhiainen, S., Simanainen, M., & Ylikännö, M. (2019). The basic income experiment 2017–2018 in Finland: Preliminary results. Reports and Memorandums of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

Theme 2: The evaluation of policies to fight poverty in developing countries

Esper, H., Krishnan, N., & Wieser, C. (2022). More Is Better. Evaluating the Impact of a Variation in Cash Assistance on the Reintegration Outcomes of Returning Afghan Refugees. World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper 9897.

Haushofer, J., & Shapiro, J. (2016). The short-term impact of unconditional cash transfers to the poor: experimental evidence from Kenya. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 131(4), 1973-2042.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students:

Martini, A., & Sisti, M. (2009). Valutare il successo delle politiche pubbliche. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Papers listed in the section "Course contents" available on virtual.

Optional readings, useful for choosing the theme of the research note:

Angrist, J. D., & Pischke, J. S. (2014). Mastering'metrics: The path from cause to effect. Princeton: Princeton university press.

De Blasio, G., Nicita, A., & Pammolli F. (a cura di) (2021). Evidence-based Policy! Ovvero perché politiche pubbliche basate sull'evidenza empirica rendono migliore l’Italia. Bologna: Il Mulino.

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From the fifth lecture, the roll call will be taken.

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Non-attending students:

Textbook:

Martini, A., & Sisti, M. (2009). Valutare il successo delle politiche pubbliche. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Additional readings:

De Blasio, G., Nicita, A., & Pammolli F. (a cura di) (2021). Evidence-based Policy! Ovvero perché politiche pubbliche basate sull'evidenza empirica rendono migliore l’Italia. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Papers on the effectiveness of financial aid in Higher Education:

Martini, A., Azzolini, D., Romano, B., & Vergolini, L. (2021). Increasing College Going by Incentivizing Savings: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Italy. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 40(3), 814-840.

Modena, F., Rettore, E., & Tanzi, G. M. (2020). The effect of grants on university dropout rates: Evidence from the Italian case. Journal of Human Capital, 14(3), 343-370.

Facchini, M., Triventi, M., & Vergolini, L. (2021). Do grants improve the outcomes of university students in a challenging context? Evidence from a matching approach. Higher Education, 81(5), 917-934.

Vergolini, L., & Zanini, N. (2015). Away, but not too far from home. The effects of financial aid on university enrolment decisions. Economics of Education Review, 49, 91-109.

Teaching methods

The course is organised in lectures and seminars, according to the following programme. The first section consists of 8 lectures (16 hours) and introduce students to the acquisition of basic conceptual and theoretical tools. The second section is organised in seminar mode (12 hours) with the aim of favouring occasions for in-depth discussions of class materials and exercises.

Students will be divided into two groups for the seminar section. The classroom commitment will therefore be 28 hours. Students are required to read the assigned material and - in the case of the seminars - will be required to actively participate through presentations of research papers and case studies.

Assessment methods

The final grade for the attending students will be calculated as follow:

  • Presentation and class participation: 40%.
  • Research note of about 2.000 words: 60%.
  • Discretionary oral examination on the topics covered during the course: +/- points.

In order to obtatin the status of attending students you must attend at least the 80% of the classes in both parts. This means 9 lessons in the first part and 6 in the second one.

For non-attending students, the exam will be based on an oral exams on the reading listed in the bibliography.

Please note that exam modes may be subject to change according to the health emergency.

Candidates who pass the exam can refuse the final grade (thus requesting to re-take the exam) only once, in accordance with the university’s teaching regulations (art. 16, comma 5).

After having rejected a passing mark, any other subsequent passing mark will be recorded definitively in candidates’ transcripts.

Teaching tools

Teaching material uploaded on virtual.


Office hours

See the website of Loris Vergolini

SDGs

No poverty Quality education Reduced inequalities

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.