PP455: Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis Policy Memorandum Michaelmas Term 2020
You have colleague at a think tank who is curious about the determinants of the gender gap for young female professionals. Assume that the colleague is based in your home country if you are from somewhere besides North America – or from a European country of your choosing if you are North American.
Your colleague has become aware of research by Marianne Bertrand, Claudia Goldin, and Lawrence Katz, “Dynamics of the Gender Gap for Young Professionals in the Financial and Corporate Sectors,” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2 (July 2010).
However, your colleague is busy and therefore enlists you as a consultant. She asks you to review the study and draft a short memo on the key findings and implications of the research.
Your review should comprise a short memo that:
- Clearly explains the take away story of the research.
- Briefly summarizes the approach, methodology, and main findings of the research.
- Assesses the key strengths and weaknesses of the study.
- Discusses any implications of the study for policy and for understanding the gender gap in your colleague’s country.
Your colleague is aware that there are existing commentaries on this particular work and on the broader questions at hand. She is interested in your own views. Your colleague and the think tank take an extremely dim view of plagiarism – entirely consistent with the regulations described in the MPA Programme Handbook and available online
Your memo should demonstrate your technical understanding of the relevant material, but your client does not want to see mathematical expressions or algebra. The memo should address the key points above in clear language – so that someone without extensive training in quantitative analysis can understand what the study offers and how it might be evaluated.
Write clearly. Do not hesitate to use the LSE LIFE or Language Centre resources on writing or to get feedback from a friend/colleague in order to ensure your work is clear and well written.
Finally, your client’s time is short. Her mind will wander if your memo is longer than two A4 pages using a 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing, and margins of one inch on all sides. She will not look at even the most brilliant insights that spill beyond this
length. Any references cited can go on page 3. Good design of the memo and clear writing will also make it easier for her to absorb the message and happier when assessing its content. The deadline for submitting your work is 16.00 (UK time) on Thursday 3 December. All students need to submit an electronic copy of their work to Moodle using the submission portal on the PP455 page.
Please remember that you should only use your candidate number, which is available from LSE for You – and is not your student ID number! – to identify yourself on your work. Please put your candidate number on the memo itself (e.g. in top corner).
Submission Format. All memos must be converted into PDF format before uploading. The file name of your work must have only your candidate number, code of your course and the type of assignment, e.g., “51234_PP455_memo.pdf”, to adhere to anonymity for marking purposes. Do not use spaces in the file name: separate words with an underscore, ‘_’.
If you need to resubmit your work – for example if you have noticed an error – then all you need to do is upload your updated version onto Moodle and your old submission will be deleted. Note, however, you will only be able to submit an updated version of your work before the 16.00 deadline as after this time Moodle submissions will be locked.
Plagiarism. By submitting your assignment on Moodle, you are confirming that your work is not plagiarised, as set out in the School’s Regulations on assessment offences and plagiarism. You also agree that your work may be submitted to a plagiarism detection service.
Deadline. Please remember that the deadline of 3 December 2020 is the final date on which you can submit your work without receiving a marking penalty, unless you have been granted an extension, but it is possible to submit your work earlier than this date if you so wish. Any extension requests should be made using the extension request form in the General Assessment Information section of the PP455 Moodle page leaving enough time for your request to be considered and a decision to be sent to you before the deadline expires. Please do not contact the PP455 course teachers directly if you need to request an extension.
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