Evaluation of Public Policy

Evaluation of Public Policy
Bachelor in International Studies
ECTS Credits: 6.0
Semester: 2

COMPETENCES AND SKILLS THAT WILL BE ACQUIRED AND LEARNING RESULTS

BASIC AND GENERAL COMPETENCES
CG4 Be able to manage information: identify, organize and analyze relevant information critically and systematically within the context of international relations.
CG5 Be able to debate and formulate critical reasoning, using precise terminology and specialized resources, when analyzing international and global phenomena, employing both the concepts and knowledge from different disciplines as well as the methods of analysis, paradigms and concepts pertaining to the Social Sciences.
CB1 Be able to show that they possess and comprehend facts and contents in an area of study which, based on a previous general secondary school level, have been extended to those included in advanced textbooks and in some aspects proceed from the most advanced studies in this area.
CB2 Be able to show that they have learned how to apply their knowledge professionally to their future jobs or tasks and that they possess the competences needed to develop and defend arguments and solve problems in that area of study.
CB3 Be able to show that they are capable of collecting and interpreting the relevant data (normally within their area of study) needed for formulating judgments which require critical thought on social, scientific and ethical topics of relevance.
CB4 Be able to show that they are able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions both to specialized and non-specialized publics.
CB5 Be able to show that they have developed the learning skills required to perform further studies with a high degree of self-dependence.

OVERLAPPING COMPETENCES
CT1 Acquire the capacity to communicate knowledge in oral and written form, both to specialized and to non-specialized publics.
CT2 Acquire the capacity to establish good interpersonal communication and to work both in interdisciplinary and international teams.
CT3 Acquire the capacity to organize and plan workloads, taking correct decisions based on the available information, collecting and interpreting relevant data in order to provide assessments in that area of study.
CT4 Develop the motivation and capacity to perform independent continuous learning for life, with an endowment to adapt to change and new situations.

SPECIFIC COMPETENCES
CE13 Be familiar with the principles of cost-benefit analysis and its application to basic problems.
CE14 Be able to design and evaluate viable and sustainable political and socio-economic programs designed for social advancement.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Applied knowledge regarding methods of evaluation and preparation of a research design for evaluation.
- Applied knowledge regarding the experimental method in public policy, treatment and randomization, types of experimental designs.
- Applied knowledge regarding procurement, creation and performance of indicators that enable the measurement of effects and consequences of interventions and programs.
- Applied knowledge regarding the preparation of evaluation reports.

DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS: PROGRAMME

Public policies at the international level: programs and interventions of states, supranational institutions, NGOs. Methodological problems of policy evaluation: causality, endogeneity and selection bias. Experimental methods: field experiments, natural experiments, quasi-experimental designs. Measurement and indicators. Fieldwork. Elaboration of evaluation reports. Case studies: peacekeeping missions, trade embargoes, military interventions, cooperation for development and development aid, economic and political reforms.

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
- 40% Continuous assessment (assignments, labs, practicals, etc.)
- 60% End-of-term exam