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Find individual courses here or browse the curricula of our graduate and executive programmes.
For the PhD programmes, please find more information here.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Data Science & Decision Making

Course-ID: GRAD-E1354
Instructors: William Lowe

Abstract

This course is about decision making in theory and practice. Our theoretical framework will be classical decision theory, informed by the literature on human and machine cognitive performance and bias. Our discussion of practice will also be informed by invited speakers who are chosen to be people whose jobs require them to make decisions in a technical context, e.g., to run election campaigns, evaluate government programs, or drive sales.

Prerequisites: Statistics 1 and 2, or equivalent. Familiarity with basic probability manipulations, up to Bayes theorem. Familiarity with machine learning and prediction models will be helpful but not required.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Data Visualisation with R

Course-ID: GRAD-PDC1088
Instructors: Nikolas Bahati Schöll

Abstract

Data has become ubiquitous and plays an ever-increasing role both in research and policy-making. However, the real potential of data can only be unlocked if we can effectively communicate the insights we draw from analysing the data.

This can be particularly challenging when working with interdisciplinary teams or with policymakers as data literacy is oftentimes low.

To overcome these challenges, data visualisation is a powerful tool as humans are much better at processing and retaining information that is presented visually.

This course gives you an introduction to data visualisation with R. The objective of this course is to learn how visualisation can be used to communicate your research effectively.

The course consists of a brief theoretical introduction:

Why use visualisation? How do humans process visual information compared to numbers and text?

Which types of graphs exist? Which one is suitable for visualising different types of data?

The dos and don'ts of data visualisation.

Then, we will delve into the practical part. You will get familiarized with the following fields of data visualisation:

Visualising data sets for descriptive statistics (univariate and bivariate figures such as bar charts, pie charts, scatter plots, boxplots, violin plots, heat maps, grids of plots, ridgeline plots, etc.)

Visualising regression outputs (point estimates, confidence intervals, comparing different models estimates visually)

Geographic visualisations: Choropleth maps (e.g. colouring German counties by population density) or distributional maps (e.g. displaying cities with the most bike lanes)

Displaying networks (e.g. retweet networks between politicians)

Using Rshiny to create interactive apps that allow readers to shape the data visualisation according to their needs. This is a powerful tool to allow readers to experience the data themselves.

Along with the technical side of how to implement these graphs in R, we will always discuss how different graphical displays are perceived by the audience, and which design choices are paramount to focus the audience's attention on what you want to communicate.

The whole course is very hands-on and there will be a lot of time dedicated to students to try it out themselves.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Democracy & Human Rights During & After the Arab Uprisings

Course-ID: GRAD-E1437
Instructors: Ilyas Saliba

Abstract

Many states and societies across the so-called Arab World witnessed protests, upheavals, and political violence during 2011 and since. In this seminar we compare various protest movements and authoritarian regimes across the region since 2011 and focus on explaining the various outcomes of these contentious episodes. Therefore, we start by introducing concepts and methods for analyzing contentious politics in authoritarian regimes in the first five sessions. In the second part we then look into the effects of protests on democratization and human rights in several countries affected by the protests during 2011. We will discuss in depth the transition trajectories of cases of: Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco and Jordan. In the third part –the last two sessions– we then compare the consequences of different transition trajectories during the Arab Uprisings for democracy and the human rights situation in the region and discuss their policy implications for policymakers.

For some of the sessions we might have guest speakers with a relevant policy or research background via zoom or in person. More or other country cases may be added if we have the possibility to have an interesting guest join us discussing another case.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Design Thinking for Societal Purpose

Course-ID: GRAD-PDC1056
Instructors: Regina Frieser

Abstract

Ever wondered what all this buzz around Design Thinking is about? Heard that it was the solution to all our problems? Questioned that, because you generally do not believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. We asked ourselves the exact same questions. However, after studying Design Thinking and working with this method in various contexts, we believe that Design Thinking can be a very helpful tool in the appropriate contexts and that it will enrich your set of problem-solving strategies.

In this skills workshop, you will learn how to use the Design Thinking framework to develop, test, and iterate solutions to complex societal challenges. During the two workshop days, you will experience the entire Design Thinking process and use a variety of its tools. Furthermore, we want to reflect on how you can make use of the Design Thinking toolkit in your studies and your career. We will share our own experiences and give examples of how you can incorporate freelance and coaching work in your potential future career paths.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Developing Bots & Scrapers with Python

Course-ID: GRAD-PDC1089
Instructors: Pierre Daix-Moreux

Abstract

This course is divided into three parts:

The first part will be an overview of how web pages work (html, css, and javascript). Students will then be introduced to the client-server model along with a speedy review of python basics.

The second part will be a practical notebook session. Students will interact with a set of Jupyter Notebooks, allowing them to get hands-on experience with how to query web server APIs or plain html pages.

Finally, students will be asked to choose an API or website of their choice and develop a bot/scraper. They will be invited to explain to the group what they developed, which blocking points they encountered and what could be improved in the future regarding it. It will be followed with a live scraper development session to consolidate student's learning.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Development Economics

Course-ID: GRAD-E1393
Instructors: Arianna Ornaghi

Abstract

In recent decades, social protection programs have become increasingly common in developing countries. This courses discusses the challenges that governments in these countries face when designing such programs and the taxation systems needed to finance them. We are going to address these questions by discussing state-of-the-art research in development economics, with a specific methodological focus on randomized control trails.

We are going to begin by considering the specificities of taxation systems in developing countries, by discussing the role played by taxation instruments such as the value added tax but also the role of tax administration. We are then going to consider how social protection programs can be structured to address the challenges associated with large informal sectors and weak state capacity, from how to target recipients, to what type of transfers are appropriate, to how to deal with governance issues. We will also consider the general equilibrium effects of social protection schemes and what determines demand for public services.

Importantly, throughout the course, we will discuss randomized control trials in great detail: how they can be designed to evaluate policies and understand economic mechanisms, how different implementation challenges can be addressed, and how their results should be analyzed.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Dynamics of the Welfare State

Course-ID: GRAD-E1477
Instructors: Aart Jan de Geus, Miroslav Beblavy

Abstract

The Welfare State, developed in Western countries in response to industrialization, has contributed to social and political stability during the 20 th century. More recently, it seems to be in permanent crisis. Fiscal pressure and ageing of society have spurred cost cutting reforms. Information technologies and digitalisation can disrupt employment. Migration of people and mobility of labour itself change social patterns and challenge social cohesion. Inequality is on the rise in many countries, which is disputable from a moral point of view, and destabilizes economies and democracies. The whole world faces the challenge of climate change and the resulting need to transform energy systems comprehensively, equitably and efficiently._x000D_

What should be on the national and international political agenda to deal with the Welfare State challenges? Which reforms are needed to protect societies from social divide and rise of populism? What can countries learn from each other? What is the role of international organisations? What are practical tools for policy makers, diplomats and their advisors?

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Economic & Financial Governance of the European Union

Course-ID: GRAD-E1425
Instructors: Johannes Lindner

Abstract

This course introduces European economic policymaking and focuses on the role that the EU level plays. You will learn about the major actors and the key processes and dynamics. First, the origins and milestones of European economic integration and the basic institutional architecture will be discovered: the single market, the single currency and the key EU institutions. Second, the transformations through the financial crisis and euro crisis, as well as the corona pandemic, will be discussed. Third, a deep dive will be taken into the different areas and instruments of economic policymaking (with a focus on current challenges and policy discussions, including climate change, inflation and high energy prices): monetary policy (ECB instruments and accountability), fiscal policy (fiscal rules and the EU budget), economic policy (European Semester, Recovery and Resilience Plans, and EU legislation), and financial sector supervision and regulation (banking union and capital market union). We will adopt a political economy perspective as our main lens to study these issues. We will also pay particular attention to the way finance ministries and EU officials consider such problems.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

Economics I

Course-ID: GRAD-C7
Instructors: Egon Tripodi

Abstract

The course offers an introduction to some of the key concepts used by economists, with a focus on microeconomic analysis. The main topics covered include consumer and producer behavior, competitive markets, as well as market failure and the need for governmental intervention. The goal of the course is for students to learn how economists think and it is built around three components. The first of these is the theory and ideas that economists use to structure their thinking. The second component is policy applications and debates where this theory will be applied and put to test, while the third is evidence from empirical studies to highlight principles of applied research design.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs

Economics II: Economics & Politics

Course-ID: GRAD-C8-108
Instructors: Arianna Ornaghi

Abstract

This course explores how the political system shapes public policy using tools from economics. First, we will use tools from microeconomics to formalize the key forces at play in the different issues we are going to discuss through simple theoretical models. Second, we will use tools from statistics and econometrics to understand what the empirical evidence says on how these forces play out in the real world. By the end of the course, you will not only be familiar with the core theoretical concepts in this area, but also develop skills helpful to approach empirical evidence in economics.

The course will cover a diverse set of questions, among others:

How can a society aggregate individual preferences through different voting systems? Do models of collective choice and voting apply to the real world?

What determines politicians' accountability? What is the effect of political representation of women, and can gender quotas help reaching equality?

Is corruption always inefficient?

How does collective action influence public goods provision, and how does diversity affect collective action?

What is the role of special interest groups and corporations in politics?

What is the best way of rewarding public officials? How should public officials be selected?

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs

Economics II: Economics & the Environment

Course-ID: GRAD-C8-111
Instructors: Johanna Arlinghaus

Abstract

This course explores the main principles with regards to the economics of the environment and natural resources. We will first formalise the management of commonly owned and public goods (e.g. climate change, biodiversity) using simple microeconomic tools. We will then discuss the design and effects of some main policy instruments (e.g. taxes, cap-and-trade, standards, bans) used to address these challenges in the real world. The main learning goal of this course is to have developed an understanding of markets and market-based environmental policies - when and why they work and when they fail. You will also have developed an understanding of some key methods and approaches used in empirical research in economics.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs

Economics II: Macroeconomic Policy-Making & Economic Growth

Course-ID: GRAD-C8-110
Instructors: Gylfi Zoega

Abstract

The course covers equilibrium in the macroeconomy in the short run, the medium run and the long run. The short-run models show the causes of the business cycle, the medium run models the origins of inflation in the labour market and the long run models the determinants of economic growth. The course concludes with a treatment of monetary and fiscal policy.

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