This course will provide students with a range of analytical techniques that can be used to answer policy and service delivery questions and how to measure the impact of policy. It will cover four key aspects of policy evaluations
- Causation: Did the program or policy have a direct impact on the outcome or outcomes of interest?
- Attribution: What was it about the program or policy that led to that impact?
- Implementation: What can be learned about how was the program or policy delivered?
- Documentation: How can key aspects of the evaluation be reported to an academic and policy audience?
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- explain issues of causal inference and attribution;
- specify a research question related to policy evaluation that is answerable using empirical methods;
- communicate and critique existing policy evaluations in a rigorous manner;
- understand the assumptions, strengths and limitations of the main techniques for evaluating policies;
- use statistical software for applying impact evaluation techniques; and
- conduct empirical research using modern econometric techniques for policy evaluation.
Indicative Assessment
- Class participation (5) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
- Assignment 1 - Critique of selected policy evaluation (1,500 words) (15) [LO 3,4]
- Assignment 2 - Research evaluation using real-world data (3,500 words) (35) [LO 2,4,5,6]
- Oral presentation - Policy brief from evaluation (10 minutes) (20) [LO 4,5,6]
- Class test (2 hours) (25) [LO 1,4,6]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: made up of face-to-face lectures, tutorials and online activities; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
To be provided on the course Wattle site.Preliminary Reading
Selected chapters from:- Glennerster, R., & Takavarasha, K. (2013). Running randomized evaluations: A practical guide. Princeton University Press.
- Angrist, J. D., & Pischke, J. S. (2014). Mastering'metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect. Princeton University Press.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $3840 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $5700 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Autumn Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3577 | 30 May 2022 | 10 Jun 2022 | 10 Jun 2022 | 29 Jul 2022 | In-Person and Online | N/A |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7027 | 25 Jul 2022 | 01 Aug 2022 | 31 Aug 2022 | 28 Oct 2022 | Online or In Person | N/A |