Masterclass

Empirical Microeconomic Policy Analysis

Speaker

Richard Blundell (UCL)

Date & Time

From: 13 November 2025
Until: 14 November 2025

Type

Masterclass

Venue

ifo Institute, Poschingerstr. 5, Munich, Germany

This masterclass is aimed at students and researcher who are interested in exploring the relationship between microeconometric methods and empirical policy evaluation. The lectures will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of reduced form and structural approaches to policy evaluation, drawing a distinction between static and dynamic models. The lectures will draw extensively on substantive empirical applications throughout. Each application will be used to examine the advantages of a particular evaluation method. The focus will be on the challenges faced in policy evaluation across a wide range of settings including examples from applications to (i) education and training; (ii) labour supply and taxation; and (iii) consumption and saving. Although a background in graduate econometrics will be assumed, each lecture will provide a brief overview of each of the key ideas required for the material covered.

Six 90-minute lectures
Lecture 1: Overview of the microeconometric evaluation problem.
Lecture 2: Experimental and non-experimental approaches to evaluation. 
Lecture 3: Structural models and policy counterfactuals. 
Lecture 4: Dynamic models and forward-looking behaviour. 
Lecture 5: Distributional dynamics and impulse responses.
Lecture 6: What have we learned and what next? 
 

Students and interested listeners are welcome to attend this unique opportunity. Attendance is free of charge, including complimentary catering at the event itself. All other expenses and travel costs will need to be paid out of pocket.

For full details and to register to attend please click here.