Overview

The central objective of this course is to equip students with the tools necessary to tackle issues that involve the empirical analysis of public policy problems of the sort they might encounter in a professional environment. The course will cover probability theory and statistics, with a focus on the sensible application of methods to deal with empirical problems using appropriate data.

The course is designed with twin objectives in mind. The first is to provide students with the ability to analyze critically the empirical analysis done by others at a level sufficient to make intelligent decisions about how to use that analysis in the design of public policy. The second is to provide students with the skills necessary to perform empirical policy analysis on their own or to participate on a team involved in such an empirical analysis.