71973 - ANALISI E VALUTAZIONE DELLE POLITICHE PUBBLICHE

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:

Lectures1-2: Course introduction and description of the objectives of impact evaluation.

Lectures 3-4: Systematic approach; process evaluation, introduction to the causal inference and to the potential outcomes language.

Lectures 5-12: Identification strategies: randomised controlled trials, propensity score matching, regression discontinuity design, difference-in-differences, instrumental variables.

Lectures 13-20: practical applications using Stata. It will be explained how the identification strategies seen in the previous lectures can be implemented in Stata. The basics of Stata will also be provided during the lectures.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students:

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

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.

Optional readings:

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

The blog of German Rodriguez supplies an introduction to Stata: https://data.princeton.edu/stata.

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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 first 12 lessons will be carried out in a traditional way with the aim of providing the conceptual and methodological tools necessary to face the second part of the course.

The second part of the course (lectures 13-20) aims to analyse the results of evaluation studies in specific policy areas in order to deepen the knowledge acquired during the first part of the course. More specifically, practical exercises using the Stata software and group work are planned to be carried out both at home and in class.

Assessment methods

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

• Written examination in open book mode. The students have to answer to a set of questions using also Stata: 70%.
• Participation in class activities can lead to a bonus of 1-2 points.
• Discretionary oral examination on the topics covered during the course: +/- 2 points.

In order to obtatin the status of attending students you must attend at least the 80% of the classes (13 lessons).

For non-attending students, the exam will be based on an oral exams (30-40 minutes) 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