asignatura master 2023

This course attempts to form students in the use of methods to evaluate socio-economic programs and policies It is particularly interesting to have at least a partial view of the available methods and to study some cases of particular interest in the context of the European Union. In our opinion, it is also useful in a Master, as the European Union one, to do so in a very applied and multidisciplinary way. The main objective of the course is to provide the students some useful tools, which allow them to be able to evaluate the impact of policies and programs implemented in the European Union.

In any typical context in the public or private sectors is now common to take informed decisions based on evaluations. This course attempts to present the basic methodology to do impact evaluation of programs or policies. Impact evaluation should involve the definition of an outcome, the description of the objectives of the program or policy and the application of a method to extract causal effects of the program or policy on the outcome. This way of doing is the base to inform decisions for impact evaluation of socio-economic programs or policies.

The course provide the student with the basics for doing impact evaluation of socio-economic programs. The cases pay particular attention to the evaluation of programs and policies taken at the core of the European institutions.

Although it is not compulsory, it is highly recommended some previous knowledge of basic statistics and econometrics. Moreover, the students should be able to bring and manipulate data. This is very useful to do hands on with the theory and to see that the methodology has, in the real world, useful applications.

Of course, all theory and cases make reference to socio - economic questions. In this sense, the students should be able to evaluate socio - economic programs and policies.

The students will be attended, by any means either phone, on-line plattform and particular e-mail of the teacher at any time during the working week. Any question you made at the different available tools will be answered during the corresponding week. In particular, calls will be attended on tuesdays during all working hours and internet tools during all working hours of the week. The available methodology allows students to be evaluated both at the Centers of the UNED both in Spain and abroad. It is also possible to conduct evaluations on-line as most of the tasks we ask during the course are. Then, material to pass the course will be provided either through the web or by e-mail. Additional material that the students feel they need to pass the course can be provided directly by e-mail.

COMPETENCIAS BÁSICAS Y GENERALES:

CG01 - Saber resolver problemas en entornos multidisciplinares relativos a la Unión Europea.

CG04 - Gestión de los procesos de comunicación e información. Expresión y comunicación eficaces a través de distintos medios y con distinto tipo de interlocutores a través de un uso eficaz de las herramientas y recursos de la Sociedad del Conocimiento (competencia en el uso de las TIC; en la búsqueda de información relevante; en la gestión y organización de la información; en la recolección de datos, el manejo de bases de datos y su presentación).

CG05 - Trabajo en equipo desarrollando distinto tipo de funciones o roles como Habilidad para coordinarse con el trabajo de otros; habilidad para negociar de forma Eficaz; habilidad para la mediación y resolución de conflictos; habilidad para coordinar grupos de trabajo o liderazgo (en el marco del aprendizaje) CG06 - Compromiso ético y respeto por las buenas prácticas educativas y científicas en relación con el desarrollo del aprendizaje.

CB6 - Poseer y comprender conocimientos que aporten una base u oportunidad de ser originales en el desarrollo y/o aplicación de ideas, a menudo en un contexto de investigación

CB7 - Que los estudiantes sepan aplicar los conocimientos adquiridos y su capacidad de resolución de problemas en entornos nuevos o poco conocidos dentro de contextos más amplios (o multidisciplinares) relacionados con su área de estudio

CB8 - Que los estudiantes sean capaces de integrar conocimientos y enfrentarse a la complejidad de formular juicios a partir de una información que, siendo incompleta o limitada, incluya reflexiones sobre las responsabilidades sociales y éticas vinculadas a la aplicación de sus conocimientos y juicios

CB9 - Que los estudiantes sepan comunicar sus conclusiones y los conocimientos y razones últimas que las sustentan a públicos especializados y no especializados de un modo claro y sin ambigüedades

CB10 - Que los estudiantes posean las habilidades de aprendizaje que les permitan continuar estudiando de un modo que habrá de ser en gran medida autodirigido o autónomo.

 COMPETENCIAS ESPECÍFICAS:

CE01 - Trabajar en contextos multidisciplinares que son los propios del ámbito de la Unión Europea y resolver problemas en dicho ámbito.

CE07 - Elaborar propuestas, informes y dictámenes sobre materias propias del sistema integrado de la Unión Europea.

CE11 - Afrontar y resolver problemas relacionados con la evaluación de programas y políticas públicas (particularmente los que se refieren a la Unión Europea)

CE13 - Evaluar el impacto de las normas (políticas y programas) introducidas para contribuir adecuadamente el proceso de decisión política en la Unión Europea.

CE14 - Analizar la economía de la Unión Europea interrelacionando todos sus aspectos

At the end of the course, we hope: 

- The students will know the main methods to conduct impact evaluation of socio-economic programs and policies

- The students will be able to do a "real" evaluation of a program or policy

- The students will be able to draw policy conclusions based on results of the evaluation of any policy or program

This course well be done using on-line learning methods. The student should work on each part of the contents in two ways. First, he/she should study the theoretical part, i.e., each of the methods and cases provided in the references. Second, he/she should work through exercises provided at the web using some statistical - econometric program. When necessary, the exersise either will contain a database where the student can experiment using the methods learned at the theoretical part or will be based on some previously done evaluation in the literature. Everything, exercises and data (as well as the proposed answers) will be available at the platform. UNED will provide access to the statistical - econometric programs available for students at the web.

The book edited by The World Bank will be made available at the area Documentos of the platform. 

We will also make available all web addresses in the EU related to the evaluation of socio-economic programs and policies. As an example, most of the planned and done evaluations are at the following web:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law-making-process/evaluating-and-improving-existing-laws/evaluating-laws/planned-evaluations_en

The main resource for the students is the on-line course on the aLF platform. All students will have access to the platform through proper identification. It is very important for the student to access the platform in a regular basis to participate in any activity proposed as well as to get informed.

Students will have access to conferences on-line, to activities done through AVIP rooms and to UNED TV and Radio platforms. Conferences and other activities will be announced through the web of the course in the platform.

In sum, resources available to students are:

1. Electronic mail either through the platform or individual e-mail of the teacher.

2. Forums of the on-line course

3. Task of the on-line course

4. Phone calls.

5. Postal mail.