PUAF 610 Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy

PUAF 610 Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy

Fall 2011

Course Requirements and Overview:

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the modern techniques of statistics and basic econometrics and to apply them to policy questions.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of statistical analysis. We will examine the principles and basic methods for analyzing quantitative data, with a focus on applications to problems in public policy, management, and the social sciences. We will begin with simple statistical techniques for describing and summarizing data and build toward the use of more sophisticated techniques for drawing inferences from data and making predictions about the social world.

The course will assume that students have little mathematical background beyond high school algebra. Students will be trained on STATA, which is supported in the SIPA Computer lab. This powerful statistical package is frequently used to manage and analyze quantitative data in many organizational/institutional contexts. A practical mastery of a major statistical package will be an important proficiency for many of you down the road.

Professor Seth Weissman

Office hours: Monday and Tuesday 4:15-6:45, and by appointment, location TBA

Phone: 202-413-0960

Email:

Teaching Assistants

Laurie Blaisdell Ying Zhang

Office hours: Tuesday 1-3 and Office Hours: Wednesday 2-4 and

by appointment, location TBA by appointment, location TBA

801-602-3945 240-423-2964

Class Sections Class Time & Location Discussion & Location

Section 301: Wed. 4:15-6:45, 1207 VMH Mon. 1:30-4:15, 1221 PKT

Section 501: Tue. 7-9:30, 1101 VMH Thu. 7-9:30, 1224 PKT

Discussion sections are optional but highly recommended; they are designed to complement classes and reinforce the material. The purpose of the discussion sessions are to: (a) review the concepts presented in the lectures; (b) illustrate concepts presented in lectures with further examples and to discuss problem set solutions; (c) expose you further to Excel and STATA. Students are not restricted to the discussions for their course; you are free to attend the time slot that is most convenient.

Textbook: Introduction to the Practice of Statistics, Moore, McCabe, and Craig, 7th edition.

Software:

Microsoft Excel and STATA

These software programs are available on all computers in the computer lab. If you’d like a copy of Microsoft Excel or need to add the Analysis Toolpak to your existing copy, please see Sam Corvah. STATA can be purchased at a discounted rate from STATA Corp. To order, please contact STATA directly (www.stata.com/order/new/edu/gradplans/gp-direct.html). Either “Intercooled STATA” or “Small STATA” will be fine for the purposes of our course.

We will be using these programs during lectures, so it might be helpful for you to install them on your laptops.

Grading:

The three components to the final course grade will include eight problem sets (30%), a midterm exam (35%), and a final exam (35%). In “borderline” cases, the quality of your class attendance and participation will weigh heavily in determination of a final grade.

Tentative dates for the problem sets are listed below. Answer keys will be posted on Blackboard as well. Your lowest problem set grade will be dropped. Unless you have received an extension on an assignment in advance of the due date, no late problem sets will be accepted.

Course Schedule:

Please note the shaded dates, which mark changes to the schedule. During weeks 7 and 12, the Wednesday section will hold class during the TA discussion time slot. Those weeks, the TA discussion for the Wednesday section will be held during the normal class meeting time, 4:15-6:45 Wednesday.