UCL - Séminaire en économie publique et politiques sociales

[ECON2456]

[30h] 10 credits

Teacher(s): Bart COCKX

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

The seminar aims at the realisation of at least four objectives:
(1) To apply methods learnt in the courses of the specialisation "public economics and social policy";
(2) To learn how to conceive a report such that it responds to a precise question;
(3) To learn how to report and to interpret results of an analysis;
(4) To learn how to present and to orally comment a report of some analysis.

Main themes

The seminar applies the methods of analysis of the principal courses of the specialisation in " public economics and social policy ". Alternatively, the seminar deepens the themes that the students treat within their written end-work ("mémoire") or within their internship.

The student prepares a written report, presents the report and comments the report of a colleague-student. The lecturer will offer the required tools to accomplish the assignment and is available to respond to the students' questions.

Content and teaching methods

This year the seminar will consist in a cost-benefit analysis of some policy measure chosen by the student. The seminar aims therefore to apply the methods taught in the course "methods for the evaluation of public polices".

At the start of the seminar the lecturer will state clearly what he expects from the students. He refreshes and deepens the principal methods of cost-benefit analysis covered by the course "methods for the evaluation of public policies". The students receive recommendations on the choice of the theme and on the data required to perform the analysis. During the preparation of the report the lecturer is available to respond to the students' questions. A collective session will also be organised with the purposes to present an intermediate report. This session permits clarifying a number of questions and to reorient the written assignment, if necessary.
Finally, the personal report is presented to the other students and commented by the latter.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

The course " methods for the evaluation of public policies "

The evaluation relates to the quality of the written report and of its presentation, and to the quality of the discussion of the other students' reports.

The support of the course "methods for the evaluation of public policies", notes deepen-ing the cost-benefit methods, seen at the start of the seminar and written instructions con-cerning the organisation of the report.

The lecturer will be available during the complete semester to respond to the students' questions.