(in Polish) Gospodarstwo domowe w ujęciu ekonomicznym - decyzje wewnątrz- i między- pokoleniowe

Master's seminars

The goal of the course is to prepare by the students a master thesis addressing an economic problem concerning household (in the inter- or intra-generational perspective) using statistic or econometric methods.

The classes in the first semester aim to prepare students to properly formulate the goal of their master thesis, research question and to state what hypotheses will be tested in the thesis using statistic or econometric methods. At the beginning of the semester, classes take form of a lecture presenting selected problems of the economy of the household (such as collective and unitary models, intra-generational decision on labor supply, specialization of household members, intergenerational transfers of money, care and bequests, etc.). Moreover, students will get familiar with the microeconomic data bases (for example BAEL, BBGD, SILC, SHARE, GGP) and with the methods of literature search. At the end of this part of semester, students will learn how to work on the research project (conceptualization, operationalization, formulation of the goal of the thesis, research question and hypotheses, choice of the method of analysis, and testing of the hypotheses). In the second part of this semester, students work on the selection of their research question addressed in the master thesis. They study individually literature connected directly with their research problem and present it in the class. They also skim databases in order to select the data that can be employed in their empirical (statistic or econometric) research. Students work on selection of the method with which their hypotheses will be tested and on the plan of their thesis. By the end of the semester, students know the most important publication addressing the topic discussed in their thesis; have an initial blueprint of the empirical research (method and database) and a plan of the thesis.

In the second semester, seminar is dedicated to conduct a statistic or econometric research according to the plan prepared in the first semester and to prepare a detailed plan of the master thesis including all chapters. Students prepare their databases for the analysis and work on the specific methods of testing the hypotheses (select and prepare variables; choose statistical tests to be conducted, the explanatory variables and the form of the econometric model). The classes take form of the individual consultations with students. Once a month all students present their work in progress and discuss with all participants of the seminar the key assumptions and findings of their research. All the comments and remarks from the audience can be very useful in improvement of the research method, cleaning and clarification of the description and presentation of research results. Students work on the detailed plans of each chapter of their thesis. By the end of the semester students have the main findings of their empirical research (statistic or econometric), accepted detailed plan of the thesis and know how to write down a proper academic text.

The third semester of the seminar aims to prepare the final version of the master thesis, its redaction and edition. Students present their master thesis during classes and discuss main findings with all the participants of the seminar. This prepares them for the defense of their thesis and helps to check if the research presented in the thesis does not need any corrections or clarifications.

Required readings:

Chiappiori, P-A. (1992). Collective Labor Supply and Welfare. Journal of Political Economy 100(3): 437-467.

Rosenzweig, M. R. and Stark, O. (1997). Handbook of Population and Family Economics. Amsterdam 1997: Elsevier.

Albertnini, M., Kohli, M. and Vogel, C. (2007). Intergenerational transfers of time and money in European families: common patterns — different regimes? Journal of European Social Policy 17: 319-334.

Other suggested reading will be adjusted to the individual topics of MA theses.

Knowledge

1. Student knows main theoretical models and results of empirical studies regarding economics of household form the perspective of intergenerational and intergenerational relations.

2. Student knows microeconomic databases such as: LFS, BBGD, SILC, SHARE, GGP.

3. Student has a knowledge about main stages of economic research and about principles of academic writing.

Skills

1. Student is able to organise an economic research; He/she is also able to plan and conduct his/her own statistical and econometrical study.

2. Student can formulate the research problem, its conceptualisation and operationalisation; define the research goal, research questions and hypotheses on the basis of economic theory. Student is also able to select an adequate method of the research hypothesis testing as well as to search for necessary data sources, to asses their usefulness for the research purposes and to use them in his/her work.

3. Student can compile data for descriptive, statistical and econometrical analysis and conduct adequate analyses.

4. Student is able to summarise obtained results and formulate conclusions stemming from the data analysis. He is also able to demonstrate, in a written form, assumptions, modes of implementation and conclusions from his/her own study. Student also can relate his/her conclusions to the economic theory and identify the most significant results. He/she can also prepare plan of his/her writing work. Finally, student is able to write an academic text demonstrating the research problem and its solution as well as to prepare tables, graphs and bibliography (all with adequate references) for such text.

5. Student can analyse and summarise theoretical and empirical academic texts.

6. Student has an ability to broaden and deepen his/her knowledge in the field he/she individually chooses.

Social competencies

1. Student is aware of importance of systematic work and of the need for planning his/her activities in the long-term perspective leading him/her towards the settled goals.

2. Student is aware of advantages of consultations and discussion within the group. He/she appreciates high tone of the exchange of ideas, both in the written and spoken form.

KW01, KW02, KW03, KU01, KU02, KU03, KK01, KK02, KK03

Delivery of the outline of the MA thesis, outlines of all chapters to be included in the MA thesis and the MA thesis itself.