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Cursus: ECB3OKVECO
ECB3OKVECO
Applied Economics Research Course
Cursus informatie
CursuscodeECB3OKVECO
Studiepunten (EC)15
Inhoud
Please note:
1. the prerequisites for this course, you are expected to have knowledge of certain courses.
2. you can register for this course only one time per acaemic year. 

 
The 'Applied Economics Research Course' is the concluding third-year full-time course that builds on the knowledge and skills acquired during the economics study. Students who follow a Bachelor in Economics and Business Economics with an approved optional minor do a research project in which two disciplines are combined: economics and the minor of the student's choice. Other students (without an approved optional minor) do a research project that focuses on a purely economic issue. In most cases, research projects are related to the research programme of one of the participating chairs ('leerstoelgroepen') in economics. In all cases the research should meet academic criteria. The project itself can be both theoretical and empirical in focus. Supervisors will formulate broad topics on which groups of ten students will do research. The research project will be done individually in project groups. In these project groups students write literature reviews in couples and give feedback on each other. The final research paper is written individually. Examples of research topics of recent years include private and private- public regulation of sectors; illicit capital flight; economics and criminology; entrepreneurship and economic growth; the sharing economy; financial markets and legal systems; corporate capital structure in Europe; economic development, infrastructure, and regional integration; marketing; accounting and budgeting; subsidising professional football clubs. For the 'Applied Economic Research Course 2017-2018', Economic Chairs and departments from the approved optional minors will jointly formulate new research topics.
Students can also submit their own research topic (possibly done as external research) to the course co-ordinator for approval. Requests need to be submitted before the end of September 2017 (period 2)/3 February 2018 (period 4) and should contain: motivation research question and sub-questions, relation to economic theory, description of the type of research (data analysis, literature, surveys, etc), some literature references, and estimated time schedule.


Learning objectives 
At the end of the course the student is able to:
  • Use the key concepts and theories of their field in economics and recognise the institutional and spatial implications in the context of their research question;
  • Use the comparison with theories to put their research question into perspective or confront the economic concepts with approaches from another field and minor;
  • Perform simple quantitative and empirical research or theoretical research. In particular, the focus is on the ability to define and formulate a problem, collect, process and interpret data, and present the analysis and chosen direction of resolution;
  • Reflect on the development and state of the academic skills.
Academic skills
This course focuses on all academic skills, but the following two in particular: 
  • Information processing
    • Knowledge of potential sources for literature and data and the skills to explore these independently for a comprehensive research project.
    • Being able to detect plagiarism and being able to avoid any kind of plagiarism.
    • Providing correct references in text in a comprehensive research project (APA style).
    • Providing a correct reference list for a comprehensive research project (APA style).
    • Being able to work with data software, such as Excel and Stata.
    • Being able to present self-constructed data in a correct and useful manner in a comprehensive research project.
  • Academic research
  • For independent academic research (OKVE):
    • Clear and convincing anchoring, relevance, accuracy and functionality of the problem definition.
    • Clear, consistent and accurate research design.
    • Selection of main available sources on the subject; critical evaluation of the literature consulted.
    • If empirical research has been done; in line with the instructions provided in Econometrics.
    • Replicable and falsifiable research, well described arguments, in line with the introduction, with correct references.
    • Strong link between the research and the relevant theories.
    • Clear answer to the problem statement, based on research results, good discussion of the conclusions, in consistency with the introduction and analyses.  
    • Replicable and falsifiable research, well described arguments, in line with the introduction, with correct references.
Format
Project groups, personal supervision and workshops.

Assessment method
  • Research paper; grade should be at least 5.5 not rounded up (80% of the final grade);
  • Participation and feedback in the project group (10% of the final grade);
  • Presentations (literature review, own research, 10% of the final grade).
Effort requirements
Attendance of and participation in all project group sessions and workshops. Please note that the course is full-time.

Effort requirements are strictly enforced: only in case the course coordinator has approved in advance, students can deviate from the above requirements.

Prerequisites period 2
Students who started in/after 2014-2015
  • The student must have 135 ECTS in September of the academic year in which the student wants to follow the Applied Economic Research Course. Before the start of the course the student must have passed 'Econometrics' and two level 3 courses of which at least one needs to be an economics course;
  • Pass of academic skills assessment.
Students who started in/before 2013-2014
  • The student must have 135 ECTS in September of the academic year in which the student wants to follow the Applied Economic Research Course. Before the start of the course the student must have passed 'Econometrics' or ‘Advanced Mathematics’ and two level 3 courses of which at least one needs to be an economics course;
  • Passing degrees for all academic skills.
Prerequisites period 4
Students who started in/after 2014-2015
  • The student must have 90 ECTS in September of the academic year in which the student wants to follow the Applied Economics Research Course;
  • Before the start of the course the students must have passed 'Econometrics' and two level 3 courses of which at least one needs to be an economics course;
  • Pass of academic skills assessment. 
Students who started in/before 2013-2014
  • The student must have 90 ECTS in September of the academic year in which the student wants to follow the Applied Economic Research Course. Before the start of the course the student must have passed 'Econometrics' or ‘Advanced Mathematics’ and two level 3 courses of which at least one needs to be an economics course;
  • Passing degrees for all academic skills.
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