Policy Research

This course is available for on-campus & remote (online) learning. All students participate in interactive, real-time classes. This course provides students with important skills for interpreting and using policy research. Students will be introduced to the process and methods of empirical policy research. The course begins with an introduction to the research process before moving on to discuss aspects of concept formation and operationalization. Students will explore the craft of formulating research questions and generating hypotheses, discuss aspects of causal inference and consider various research methods including qualitative, quantitative, experimental, observational and mixed methods approaches. Through practical cases, students will reflect on the role of research in the policy process, the ethics of policy research, and how to navigate the interface between research and practice to get effective policy outcomes.