Overview
Objective
The purpose of this project is to encourage curiosity and promote scientific writing and communication of economic policy, frameworks or topics. Your task is to propose a welldefined research topic in economics/econometrics. You will select a causal relationship to explore, outline the key variables, and develop a plan for empirical analysis. This part includes both a written research proposal and an in-class presentation.
Written Proposal Instructions
1. Title: Provide a clear, concise title that reflects your research question.
2. Introduction: Write an introduction describing the causal relationship you are investigating and citing literature that support or/and conflict with you idea and identifying the gap your research is hoping to fill.
3. Research Question: State the specific causal relationship you intend to examine. What is the research question you are aiming to answer?
4. Hypothesis: Clearly state your hypothesis regarding the causal relationship between your chosen variables.
5. Variables and Measurements: • Causal Variable: Identify the independent variable and describe how it will be measured. • Outcome Variable: Define the dependent variable and describe its measurement. • Additional Variables: Briefly describe any control variables you might include to account for omitted variable bias.
6. Proposed Regression Model: Write a simple regression equation based on the relationship between your causal and outcome variables. If you plan to use additional variables, briefly outline a multiple regression model.
7. Data Sources: Provide a brief description of the dataset(s) you plan to use for your analysis, including how you will access the data and why it is appropriate for your research.
8. Potential Challenges: Identify any anticipated challenges or limitations in your proposed research, such as data availability, measurement issues, or possible bias.
9. References: Provide a full list of all the references you used, following a consistent citation style (e.g., APA).
Formatting Guidelines
Presentation Instructions
– Introduction: Briefly introduce your research topic and the question you aim to answer. Discuss the findings of any relevant literature that have looked at similar topic or relationship you are investigating.
– Explain your causal and outcome variables, as well as any control variables.
– Describe the empirical strategy you will use, including the regression models you propose.
– Discuss the data sources you will rely on and any potential challenges you foresee.