FINAL College of Asia and the Pacific Crawford School of Public Policy

C S A E
IDEC-8023
Semester 1 2014 6 Units In Person Delivery
Modified 30/01/2014

To print this course outline, use the "Syllabus" menu in the top left.

Meeting Times
Lectures: Monday 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 - 11:00 am

Location: Seminar Room 1

Contact Information
Convenor: Professor Robert Breunig
Email: robert.breunig@anu.edu.au (mailto:robert.breunig@anu.edu.au)
Office: 2.150 Crawford Extension Building (#132a)
Phone: (02) 612 52148

Senior Student Engagement Coordinator: Shuqun Zhao

Email: Shuqun.Zhao@anu.edu.au (mailto:Shuqun.Zhao@anu.edu.au)
Office: Room 3.22, Crawford Building
Phone: 6125 0093

Student Engagement Assistant: Roze Hisham

Email: roze.hisham@anu.edu.au (mailto:roze.hisham@anu.edu.au)
Office: Room 3.15, Crawford Building
Phone: 6125 2172

Description

In this course, students will produce a substantial and original piece of research work. This work will
be structured with the goal of generating new knowledge while simultaneously aiding students in their
ability to conduct and analyse research. The course will be built around recent empirical examples
from applied economics. These examples will be used as case studies to increase students
understanding of econometric technique and research practice. Building from these case studies,
students will work in small research groups to first replicate and, more importantly, extend these case
studies in novel ways.
Requisites
 Required: IDEC8017 or equivalent

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
1) Critically analyse applied economic research.
2) Judge the suitability of and apply a range of econometric techniques to research questions in
applied economics.
3) Conduct original research and analysis on a case study.
4) Write a well-structured paper in the style suitable for an academic journal.
5) Use practical research skills in applied economics.

Materials

Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach

Author: Jeffrey Wooldridge
Publisher: South-Western/Cengage Learning
Edition: Fifth
ISBN: 978-1111531041
Availability: Coop book store

Econometric Modelling with Time Series

Author: Vance Martin, Stan Hurn, David Harris
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521139816
Availability: Coop book store

Assessment Overview
Summary
Type Weight Learning Outcome Notes

Research paper 50% 1,3,4,5 Due Thursday 29 May 5:00 pm

In-class research presentations 20% 1,2,5 Schedule to be determined

In-class quizzes 30% 1,2,5 Dates and times to be announced during lecture.

Grading Scale
According to the ANU policy on assessment (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004603 (https://po
licies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004603)), the standards that apply to High Distinction, Distinction, Credit
and Pass in all coursework courses are as follows:

Grade Range Notes

Grade Range Notes

HD 80- Work of exceptional quality, which demonstrates comprehensive understanding of the subject matter,
100% mastery of relevant skills, sophisticated or original critical and conceptual analysis, and outstanding
quality in clarity, precision and presentation of work.

D 70- Work of superior quality, which demonstrates a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject
79% matter, proficiency in relevant skills, and analytical and conceptual ability of a high order.

C 60- Work of good quality, which displays a good understanding of the subject matter and a sound grasp of
69% relevant skills.

P 50- Work of satisfactory quality, which displays an adequate understanding of most of the subject matter
59% and a sufficient grasp of relevant skills.

N 0-49% Work which is incomplete or displays an inadequate understanding of the subject matter or an
inadequate grasp of relevant skills.

Assessment Items
In-class quizzes
Two to three in-class quizzes will be arranged to assess understanding of econometric techniques discussed in
lecture and presentations.

In-class presentations
Three to four in-class presentations will be given by each research group. These presentations will cover (1)
research question and literature review; (2) details of the data to be used for the case study; (3) economic
model, econometric techniques and the appropriateness of the match of the two; (4) final presentation of
research findings.

Research paper
Students will work in small groups to first replicate one of the case studies and then to produce a research paper
based upon the case study which is a novel extension of the case study. The extension may involve using
different time periods of data, data from other countries, examination of an additional research question using
the same data, robust/fragility testing of results or some other research as agreed with the course convenor.

The research paper will be written in a journal article style of 15-25 pages (double-spaced, 12 point font, 2.5 cm
margins). It will be judged in the same way that a journal article is judged: scientific merit, replicability, clarity of
expression, quality of writing, appropriate referencing and use of source material, appropriateness of technique
relative to the research question and thoroughness of presentation of research findings.

Turnitin
Turnitin Course ID: 7317935

Turnitin Password: idec8023

Course Expectations
Wattle
 All courses at the Crawford school use the ANUs online learning environment, Wattle. Each course will have its
own unique Wattle site, which is accessible only to staff and students enrolled in that course. Lecturers use
Wattle in different ways, which may include lecture recordings, lecture notes, further reading suggestions, and
discusssions on their course Wattle sites.

You will also have access to the Crawford Main Wattle site which contains Crawford School policies and
resources to support your study, including the Styleguide, assignment cover sheet, past course outlines and
academic skills resources.

For help with Wattle, go to https://wattle.anu.edu.au/help.php (https://wattle.anu.edu.au/help.php)

Referencing and formatting requirements

Students are required to reference all words/ideas and opinions of others, using the Crawford School Style (a
Harvard in-text referencing style). Details of this style can be found in The Crawford School Styleguide, available
in hard copy from Academic Skills Advisors and online in the Crawford Main Wattle site at http://wattlecourses.a
nu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=119400 (http://wattlecourses.anu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=1194
00)

Assignments should conform to the formatting instructions provided in the Crawford Styleguide. To make this
easier, a template in the form of a Microsoft Word document set up with the appropriate margins, font, line and
paragraph spacing can be downloaded from https://anu.campusconcourse.com/get_file?file_id=60 (get_file?file_
id=60).

Assignment submission
For all written work:
1. Ensure your assignment complies with the Crawford Styleguide, (get_file?file_id=388) and include the As
signment cover sheet (get_file?file_id=387).
2.
Assignments should be submitted via the Course Wattle site
3. An identical copy must also be submitted through the Turnitin web site www.turnitin.com (http://www.tur
nitin.com), and all work is screened using Turnitins Originality Reports.
Students are able to view the reports on their drafts before final submission, to improve their
academic writing practice. Full details on the use of Turnitin are available on the Crawford Main Wattle
site.
The Turnitin Course ID and password for this course are in the Assessment Items section of this
course outline.
Your Academic Skills advisor can also help you with using Turnitin effectively.
4. Course Convenors will contact you about marked assignments return.

Extensions and Late Submissions

Extensions can only be given by the subject lecturer. Presentation of a certificate from a medical practitioner or
from the ANU Counselling Centre is required. Part-time students requesting extensions due to pressure of work
need to provide email and phone contact details for their work supervisor. Requests for extensions must be
made before the due date of submission. Late submission, without approved extension, will incur a penalty of
5/100 marks per day including weekends.

Student responsibilty
a. Student feedback on and formal evaluation of subject
 All courses will be evaluated using the Student Experience of Learning and Teaching surveys, administered by
Statistical Services at the ANU. These surveys will be offered online, and students will be notified by email to
their ANU address when the surveys are available in each course. Feedback is used for course development so
please take the time to respond thoughtfully.

b. Enrolment

It is the students responsibility to ensure that they are correctly enrolled in each subject and that the subjects
are correct for their course of study. Students should confirm their subject enrolment details online, and carefully
check the census date for each course to enable course changes without penalty.

c. Attendance

Regular attendance at lectures, seminars and tutorials is expected.

d. Email

All information updates from the program and the School, and most University communication is made through
email using the ANU student email address, which is studentnumber@anu.edu.au (eg u1234567@anu.edu.au).

Lecturers use the news forum in Wattle to make announcements to the whole class, and these messages are
sent to your ANU email account. You can choose to receive these Wattle messages singly or as a daily digest
(the default setting).

You must regularly access messages sent to your ANU email account. If you wish to forward your ANU
email to another address please go to http://anumail.anu.edu.au, then go to Options, Settings and use
the Mail Forwarding box at the bottom of that page.

Announcements made through email and on the Wattle course site are deemed to be made to the whole class.

ANU Policies
ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are
aware of the Universitys academic standards, and implement them. You can find the Universitys education policies
and an explanatory glossary at: http://policies.anu.edu.au/ (http://policies.anu.edu.au/)

Key policies include:

Code of Practice for Student Academic Integrity

Academic Progress
Assessment of Student Learning
Assessment Review and Appeals
Course Assessment: Consultation and Finalisation
Student Feedback on Teaching and Learning

Academic Honesty
Students are expected to have read the ANU's Code of Practice for Student Academic Integrity before the
commencement of their course. (https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_000392 (https://policies.anu.e
du.au/ppl/document/ANUP_000392))

The following is an extract from the Code of Practice for Student Academic Honesty:

Any work by a student of the Australian National University must be work:

that is original
that is produced for the purposes of a particular assessment task
 that gives appropriate acknowledgement of the ideas, scholarship and intellectual property of others
insofar as these have been used.

It is the responsibility of each individual student to ensure that:

they are familiar with the expectations for academic honesty both in general, and in the specific context
of particular disciplines or courses
work submitted for assessment is genuine and original
appropriate acknowledgement and citation is given to the work of others
they declare their understanding of and compliance with the principles of academic honesty on
appropriate proformas and cover sheets as required by the academic area, or by a statement prefacing or
attached to a thesis
they do not knowingly assist other students in academically dishonest practice.

All breaches, careless or deliberate, are addressed. Careless breaches are addressed through academic
penalties, such as deduction of marks and resubmission. Deliberate breaches are subject to action under the
Discipline Rules of the ANU (http://about.anu.edu.au/__documents/rules/disciplinerules.pdf (http://about.anu.ed
u.au/__documents/rules/disciplinerules.pdf)).

Penalties for a deliberate breach may include failing the piece of work involved, failing the course, or having
candidature terminated.

Further information can be found at http://academichonesty.anu.edu.au/ (http://academichonesty.anu.edu.au/)

Student Support Services

Students experiencing academic or personal problems are welcome to discuss these with any member of the
Faculty or to utilise the ANUs student support services links to which can be found at http://students.anu.edu.a
u/ (http://students.anu.edu.au/), including:

Academic Skills and Learning Centre at http://www.anu.edu.au/academicskills/; (http://www.anu.edu.au/

academicskills/)
the Counselling Centre at http://www.anu.edu.au/counsel/; (http://www.anu.edu.au/counsel/)
the Disability Support Unit at http://www.anu.edu.au/disabilities/. (http://www.anu.edu.au/disabilities/)

Library
Information about the library can be found at http://anulib.anu.edu.au. (http://anulib.anu.edu.au)
(http://anulib.anu.edu.au)Opening hours can be accessed at http://anulib.anu.edu.au/about/open/. (htt
p://anulib.anu.edu.au/about/open/)
(http://anulib.anu.edu.au/about/open/)For free courses in Information Skills and Computer Skills see htt
p://ilp.anu.edu.au (http://ilp.anu.edu.au)/.

Student Appeals and Complaints

Students who want to lodge an appeal or make a complaint associated with delivery this course should consult
the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific CAP process described here: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/students/app
eals-and-complaints (http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/students/appeals-and-complaints).

Student Feedback
ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students.
One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through Student Experience of Learning
Support (SELS) surveys. The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges,
University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and
opportunities for improvement.
 For more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses, go to h
ttp://unistats.anu.edu.au/surveys/selt/students/ (http://unistats.anu.edu.au/surveys/selt/students/) and http://unist
ats.anu.edu.au/surveys/selt/results/learning/ (http://unistats.anu.edu.au/surveys/selt/results/learning/).

Crawford Student Services

The Crawford Student Services Office is located at the lower entrance of the JG Crawford building, Level 1, and
is open between 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

Academic Skills Advisers can be contacted via the Crawford Academic Skills Wattle site http://wattlearchive.anu.
edu.au/course/view.php?id=1985 (http://wattlearchive.anu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1985)