The general structure

The structure of the programme follows the one-year master structure of the other Economics MSc programmes with a total of 60 ECTS credits: students follow 6 courses (39 credits) and write a thesis (21 credits, including the preparing skills). The contents of the courses relate to the aim and the scope of the programme. The general framework of the programme is summarised in the table below.

From the table below one sees that each programme consists of four core blocks, indicated by the post-script A in the first column. These courses are offered only once a year, but can be followed starting September or February. These four blocks are constructed following a logical sequence: the pillar structure.

When entering the programme students in both tracks follow a course “Economic Policy Research”. This course is an advanced course in quantitative methods and economic research skills, with an applied character – the application might be slightly different, related to the track chosen. Students in both tracks can choose the other block in the B-track of their first semester freely. The remaining time is spent on preparing and writing their thesis. Apart from that we offer also the possibility to follow an internship, although that is outside the confined period of one year,

Start September                                                                                       Start February

The pillar structure

 The structure of the MSc programmes is based on four pillars, which represent the four steps that are required to move from a problem to policy advice. These pillars receive attention in each of the core blocks of the two programmes, which will be taught in periods 1 to 4. In each of the blocks of SE also one pillar will take a central position.

The first pillar refers to the ability to recognize relevant policy problems and to phrase this issue in economic terms. In reality, social and economic problems do not show up as clear textbook cases. Economic analysis of these concerns demands translation into economic tools and concepts. This is often a far from trivial assignment. Questions that have been raised are often not well defined and do not fit into the economic way of thinking. Just applying economic theory to solve policy question will not work and new social and economic developments often challenge the existing theory and require new perspectives.

These new perspectives also require solid analyses. The second pillar refers to the requirement for policy researchers to develop or adapt models to get to grips with the central question at stake. As far as possible the use and application of existing economic theory is of course very useful. In many cases the newly developed theory is a source of inspiration for more theoretically oriented economists.

Theories that come to existence in this way need to be brought to empirical testing or need empirical foundations, which is the third pillar. Because of the large societal stakes the use of sound and responsible empirical methods is crucial. In practice one often encounters a great many interrelated and endogenous developments and issues. That is why it is crucial to search for robust estimates, which take into account the causality of the relationships. If not, many stories can confirm the huge and very costly mistakes that have been made in important policy decisions. Also the analysis of the magnitude of the impact of a policy change is of central importance, because significant but marginal policy decisions are likely to be not very effective.

Finally, the estimates and empirical results need to be translated to the practice of every day life. Again this is not a trivial exercise. Often the translation from economic theory and empirics to tangible policymaking is hard. Theoretical solutions are often not feasible in terms of the exact implementation and numerous practical problems can lead to several complications. Nevertheless, a well defined problem statement, solid theoretical modelling, robust empirical support together will help the policy maker and decision makers to get on the right track. This is the final pillar.

The thesis

Given the purpose of the programme is it natural that students get to grips with the analysis of real problems. To this end we can make use of the available expertise at ROA and MERIT where research is conducted in ways relevant for the education process. There will also be projects outside the UM. In cooperation with relevant institutions and companies we aim at an early contact with an institution that would like to have sorted out a relevant policy issue. The student will go to the company briefly and the thesis will be done in Maastricht under supervision of AE-II with feedback on the progress to the company or institution. Students who are already working can of course bring a case from their working environment.

It is important for students to be able to conduct policy research from A to Z: collecting data, reporting, and clearly making a statement of the importance of the conclusions are just a number of important ingredients in such as process. We propose to let students work on their thesis for the full year (with a specific period in the second semester reserved for actually writing the thesis) in which the four pillars are central. In meetings (apart from the usual hours of class) they present ideas and drafts of their projects, which will be commented upon by the faculty of AE-II and MERIT and ROA researchers. The first meeting will be about the problem statement and the description of the data. The second meeting is aimed to get the theory right. The third meeting covers the empirical part of the thesis in which the empirical strategy is of crucial importance. Finally, the whole thesis will be discussed and the policy conclusions will be written. The faculty of AE-II together with MERIT and ROA researchers should be able to guarantee a sufficient number of interesting research projects. Every student will have at least one AE-II supervisor.

Back to

Home Page