Policy Evaluation with Economic & Cost Analysis

This course equips students with the theoretical and empirical tools of economics needed to analyze education systems and evaluate public policies. We will examine how economic theory informs the design of rigorous empirical strategies for assessing policy effectiveness, with particular attention to issues of quality, efficiency, and equity.Students will develop a grounding in human capital theory, labor market dynamics, and the economic returns to educational investments. The course also explores how public education and related programs are financed, and how program costs can be compared with their anticipated benefits using established economic frameworks.A central focus of the course is the application of econometric methods to the study of education and social policies. Students will learn how empirical research designs are used to test theoretical predictions, evaluate program impacts across a range of outcomes, and inform evidence-based policymaking.