3- Final Essay  Monday 4th December 2023

In this assignment, you will have the opportunity to apply the techniques covered to address a research question of your choosing. To do so, you will need to identify secondary data

sources. Rather than writing a full research paper, you will be expected to create a research memo, similar to a detailed academic blog post. Your focus should be on the empirical

analysis rather than the substantive literature and theory. One approach could be to test the robustness of earlier findings in the literature using a different dataset or methodology.

Your ability to apply and interpret models critically will be assessed, as well as your capacity to link together theory, data preparation, modeling choices, and interpretation of statistical output in an intelligent and convincing manner.

Here is an example structure you can follow:

1. Introduction (approximately 750-1000 words)

- Identify the research question and explain its relevance in the literature.

- Highlight why this question is worth exploring.

- State the hypothesis you will be testing.

2. Methodology (approximately 500-750 words)

- Discuss your data sources and their reliability and validity.

- Describe the measures/variables you will be using.

- Justify the methods you have chosen.

3. Findings (approximately 1000-1250 words)

- Present and discuss the findings from your analysis.

- Explain the statistical meaning of the results.

- Discuss the substantive implications of the findings for the literature.

- Identify any cautions or limitations in your results.

- Reflect on what you would do differently if given more time to study this question.

4. Conclusion (approximately 500-750 words)

- Discuss the implications of your results for other research on this topic.

- Consider what you would do differently with more time and resources.

- Highlight any cautions in interpreting the results.

Additional details about the practical project will be provided during the lectures.