- Teacher: Evelyne Patrizia Huebscher
The seminar (including the tutorials) is taking place on the following dates
Friday October 5 (13:15 – 17:00, M R150)
Friday October 12 (9:30 – 16:30)
Friday October 26 (9:30 – 16:30)
Friday November 02 (9:30 – 16:30)
Friday November 23 (9:30 – 16:30)
Please note that the course is taking place in seminar room no. 9, site Baud Bovy. Except on October 5 when we meet at Uni Mail, M R150.
Course Summary and Key Learning Goals
The type of social
and political outcomes that are studied in public and non-profit
administrations and which inform policy-makers are usually shaped by a
multitude of factors. This is why it is often difficult to understand
the effect of a specific policy or a change in a specific factor on
policy outcomes. In order to approximate the impact factors have on
social outcomes, researchers and policy analysts often resort to
statistical tools, such as regression analysis. While multiple
regression is well suited to the type of data policy analysts often have
at their hands, it is important that the methods are correctly applied
and take into account the specific characteristics of the underlying
data and problem. If statistical tools are misapplied the results can be
misleading, which can be the source of misinterpretations of causes and
effects of policy problems. This course aims at training participants
in recognizing the proper use (and abuse) of basic methods in
quantitative research and interpret the implications and results of
research reports and studies.