Research in Practice: Study Design
| Module title | Research in Practice: Study Design |
|---|---|
| Module code | BEEM163 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Julian Dyer (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
The ability to conduct primary data research is a crucial skill for consultants, policymakers and researchers in a variety of organisations (e.g. consultancies, development organisations, government departments, think tanks, big businesses and tech companies). This module will explore the latest tools for designing, running and analysing randomised controlled trials, field experiments or survey-based projects and impact evaluations that are now a central part of the economics, business and policy toolkit. This module will also develop literacy with current cutting-edge methodology and ability to critically evaluate research.
The content of this module will be suitable for data and research-oriented students, and for those who are interested in work with businesses, consultancies, government, development organizations or other fields where evaluating policies, programmes, products and other interventions is important. This content is recommended for interdisciplinary pathways and will be of use to all students with the necessary econometric tools who are interested in running field experiments and designing or analysing survey-based projects. The examples in this course will be drawn from empirical microeconomics.
This module will require one module of econometrics (one of: BEEM011, BEEM102, BEEM113, BEEM139) in order to understand the empirical methods used in this module, and to understand the challenges our tools are designed to overcome.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The intention of this module is to provide students with the fundamental tools used in field experiments and survey design, as well as econometric tools for analysis of survey data and experimental results. You will learn the theory behind these tools as well as how to apply these tools in practice.
We will then cover examples of recent papers and use these to learn about ways of measuring different types of outcomes, as well how surveys and field projects can be combined with economic theory to answer questions rigorously and in a generalizable way. This will be enriched by looking at the cutting-edge tools being used in recent economics papers.Here we will be focusing not on what the researchers found, but on how they found it. We will focus on the design of these research project and the way key outcomes were measured to build your research toolkit. This will include experimental and non-experimental papers. The first half of the module will be core tools, and the later lectures will be tailored to the specific issues students are most interested in, e.g. research methods appropriate to questions of climate change, gender, or states/institutions.
This module will provide students with an opportunity to explore their own interests by designing a potential research project as their major piece of coursework. This will be an opportunity for students to enrich their learning by engaging with their own creative research ideas. Three problem sets will be used to help students explore their understanding of the tools they have learned, while building practical skills working with real data from real research projects. Students will also prepare a brief presentation for tutorial where they will critically evaluate the methodology used in an academic journal article.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Explain how key outcomes were measured in seminal and cutting-edge papers in different fields
- 2. Evaluate the design of experimental interventions to answer a research question.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Apply the key methods and core concepts of sampling design and survey design.
- 4. Apply econometric methods to analyse survey data and experimental results
- 5. Evaluate threats to validity of a randomised experiment.
- 6. Propose and design an experiment to answer a research question
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Evaluate the effectiveness of a given research design.
- 8. Present of academic material and critical evaluation of methods.
Syllabus plan
Part 1: Methods
- Data Collection: e.g. Sampling Strategies and Power Calculations
- Tools for Survey Analysis: e.g. Using sampling weights, quantile regression, etc.
- Econometrics of why and how to randomize an experiment: e.g. Identifying causal effects, randomization strategies, clustered randomization, adaptive randomization, etc.
- Threats to validity: e.g. Noncompliance, etc.
- Analysis of Experiments: e.g. Multiple Hypothesis Testing, Randomization inference, etc.
Part 2: Measurement & Survey Design
- Core Tools and Concepts for Survey Design
- Outcomes for Political Economy & Culture: e.g. voting behaviour, corruption, ethnic bias, etc.
- Outcomes for Agriculture: e.g. output, productivity, etc.
- Outcomes for Health: Biometric & behavioural measures
- Outcomes for Entrepreneurs & Small Enterprises
- Outcomes in Education: Test scores & intermediate measures
- Outcomes in Gender and Economics of the Family
Part 3: Management
- Research Ethics and Transparency
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | 123 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 22 (11 x 2) | Lectures: main concepts and methods we use, as well derivations of the results to ensure students understand them in depth. These concepts and methods will be linked to their applications in the design and implementation of surveys & field experiments. |
| Scheduled learning and teaching activities | 5 (5 x 1) | Tutorials: Review problem sets related to the core concepts; brief presentations of journal articles to highlight the particular methods used and link these to lecture material |
| Guided independent study | 123 | Background reading, reviewing lecture material (approx.. 50 hrs.); working on proposed research design (approx. 30hrs) tutorial presentation (approx. 5hrs); and problem sets (approx. 38hrs). |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem sets to be covered in tutorial. | 1 hour | 1, 3, 4, 5, 7-8 | Verbal |
| Submission of first draft of Research Project Plan | Up to 2000 words | 2, 5-8 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design of Research Project | 50 | 2,000 words | 5-7 | Written |
| Research Project Rough proposal | 5 | 250 words | 5-6 | Written |
| 2 Problem sets (10% each) | 20 | 1.5 hours | 1, 3-4 | Written |
| Paper Presentation | 10 | 0.5 hours | 2, 7-8 | Verbal Tutorial Presentation |
| Mid-Term Exam | 15 | 1.5 hours | 1, 3-4 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design of Research Project | Design of Research Project (2000 words, 50%) | 5-7 | Referral/deferral period |
| Research Project Rough proposal | Research Project Rough proposal (250 words, 5%) | 5-6 | Referral/deferral period |
| 2 Problem Sets (10% each) | 2 Problem Sets (10% each) (1.5 hours, 20%) | 1, 3-4 | Referral/deferral period |
| Paper Presentation | Presentation Recording (10%) | 2, 7-8 | Referral/deferral period |
| Mid-Term Exam | Mid-Term Exam (1.5 hours, 15%) | 1, 3-4 | Referral/deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Because students will not be able to present in tutorial for a re-assessment, they will submit a recording of their presentation.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
The following textbooks are good background, and specific chapters/sections of interest will be assigned during the module.
-
Deaton, Angus. (1997). The analysis of household surveys: a microeconometric approach to development policy. Baltimore, MD: Published for the World Bank [by] Johns Hopkins University Press
-
Banerjee,Abhijit & Duflo, Esther. (Eds). (2017). Handbook of Field Experiments, Volume 1. Amsterdam, Netherlands: North Holland
-
Iarossi, Giuseppe. (2006). The Power of Survey Design A User's Guide for Managing Surveys, Interpreting Results, and Influencing Respondents (First Edition). Washington, D.C.: The World Bank.
-
Glennerster, R., & Takavarasha, K. (2013). Running randomized evaluations: A practical guide. Princeton University Press.
We will also refer to academic journal articles in lectures, which will be accessible to students online.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
-
World Bank Development Impact Blog
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | One of: BEEM011, BEEM102, BEEM113, BEEM139 |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 22-03-2024 |
| Last revision date | 12/05/2025 |
