Public Policy (MSc Economics)
In the Public Policy track in Economics you learn how to apply the latest economic theory and research methods to help governments intervene in the economy. This track is 1 of 7 tracks you can opt for in our Master's in Economics.
Help governments intervene in economy
The world’s economic system has been volatile in recent years. From the challenge of the financial crisis to income inequality, the pressures of immigration, changing technologies and geographic shifts in production, to name a few. Governments are struggling with the impact these developments have on their economy.
Why choose the Public Policy track?
- Beside the 3 general courses of the MSc Economics in your curriculum, you will have 3 courses with focus on the struggles of government with the impact of financial challenges on the economy.
- You will be lectured by professors and experts working in a wide range of economic organisations and fields. Therefore, you have access to up-to-date cases and learnings from the field of public policy.
- After graduation, you have an excellent job prospect at e.g. bureaus for policy making, or national ministries.
Track-specific courses
-
Policy Evaluation: Development and Public Policy
This course introduces you to contemporary methods of policy evaluation. You will study their applications related to topics such as education, health, nutrition, crime, microfinance, gender and labour issues. You will read and prepare papers in order to explain important aspects of these papers during the weekly meetings.
-
Public Economics
In this course you will discuss topics related to public decision-making processes and policies with a focus on inequality and redistribution.
How do individual preferences translate into collective decisions? Also you will investigate redistributive policies, with a central role for the trade-off between efficiency and equality.
Throughout the course you will discuss the latest scientific results and current debates on hot topics such as a universal basic income.
-
Public Finance and Fiscal Policy
Get introduced to theory and empirics of fiscal policy and public finance. You will look at these subjects both from a short-run perspective (the business cycle) and the long-run perspective (sustainability and the intergenerational dimension).
You will learn how to apply different fiscal policy models and how to estimate policies. Topics you will cover:
- population ageing and long run sustainability of public finances
- tax smoothing
- intergenerational aspects of fiscal policy
- EU debt crisis and EU fiscal framework
- theory and empirics of cyclical fiscal policy
- recente policy cases depending on what is topical at the moment of the course
Contemporary issues
Examples of current newspaper headlines and contemporary issues that could be discussed in your classroom.
- How forward looking are households? The 2015 discontinuation of the social security supplement
- What is the price elasticity of cigarette demand? The French 2018-2020 gradual increase in the taxation of tobacco products
- How accurately can CITO score and a teacher’s assessment place a child in the correct learning path?
Career prospects
Graduates of the Master's programme in Economics/Public Policy track have excellent job prospects for positions as researchers and experts at:
- National ministries and governmental agencies (ministries of finance and economic affairs, economic forecasting agencies, statistical agencies)
- Bureaus for policy analysis
| Diploma | MSc |
|---|---|
| Vorm | Voltijd |
| Studielast | 60 EC, 12 maanden |
| Voertaal | Engels |
| Start | September |
| CROHO-code | 66401 |