Prof Berkay Ozcan

This course is available on the Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Columbia), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Sciences Po), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-University of Toronto), Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Policy, MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Hertie), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and NUS), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Tokyo), MPA in Data Science for Public Policy, MSc in International Social and Public Policy, MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Development), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Education), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (LSE and Fudan), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Migration), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations) and MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Research). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

Priority will be given to SPP students, then Department of Social Policy programmes, then MSc Inequalities and Social Sciences and then other LSE programmes. Outside option students will need to submit a statement requesting a place.

Deadline for application: 9am on Monday of week 1 of Autumn Term (including requests from School of Public Policy students). We aim to inform students of the outcome of their request by 12noon on Tuesday of week 1 of Autumn Term.

For queries contact: spp.doubledegrees@lse.ac.uk

This course has no formal pre-requisites.

The course focuses on quantitative approaches to assessment of social progress. A strong background in maths and stats is not required but you need to be willing to engage with tables and graphs and basic formulae.

The course is challenging but not intrinsically difficult; most important is a willingness to engage with the issues in depth.  

This course provides an introduction to the analysis and measurement of the welfare of individuals and societies, examining concepts, measurement and data, as well as providing illustrations. The aims are to provide an understanding of the main tools used to measure and monitor individuals' and social welfare, and to develop skills for assessing academic research and official statistics (as produced by national or international agencies) and for undertaking one’s own analysis.

PP4X8 focuses on non-monetary and multidimensional measures of economic wellbeing, including education, subjective measures such as life satisfaction, health, and leisure, and combination into multidimensional indicators, with illustrations from high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Other themes include horizontal inequalities, and how to analyse different types of data, contrasting binary, categorical, and ordinal data, by contrast with cardinal continuous measures. Examples include anthropometric measures, the Human Development Index and related indices of development, and measures of happiness and life satisfaction.

(Note: PP4X7 is a complementary half-unit course: it focuses on monetary measures of welfare for individuals and societies. Together, PP4X7 and PP4X8 provide a comprehensive introduction to welfare analysis and measurement topics. A caricature distinction between the two courses is that PP4X7 takes a World Bank-type approach to analysis and measurement, whereas PP4X8 takes a UNDP-type approach.)

16.5 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.

Short answer questions.

The formative exercise consists of a set of short-answer questions designed to provide practice in applying and interpreting key concepts, measures, and empirical evidence covered in the course. Questions are structured to test understanding of definitions, interpretation of tables or figures, and conceptual distinctions across different approaches to welfare measurement. Feedback is provided, but the exercise does not contribute to the final mark. 

Most of the course reading is in journal articles. Books and reports providing conceptual and empirical overviews of non-monetary, multidimensional, and subjective measures of welfare include:

• Stiglitz, J.E., Sen, A. and Fitoussi, J.-P. (2009), Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress.
• Atkinson, A.B. (2015), Inequality: What Can Be Done?, Chapters 1–3 and selected thematic chapters.
• Deaton, A. (2013), The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality.
• UNDP, Human Development Reports (various years).

A full reading list is distributed at the beginning of the course.

Exam (75%), duration: 120 Minutes, reading time: 15 minutes in the Spring exam period.

Essay (25%, 2500 words).

Essay (25%): 

This summative coursework requires students to answer one question from a choice of two. Each question has multiple linked parts, but students are expected to provide more integrated and in-depth written responses than the short answers expected in the Formative Assessment. The assessment is designed to test students’ ability to develop and sustain an argument using tools and evidence, demonstrate conceptual understanding, engage critically with measurement choices and data, and interpret empirical material where relevant. The maximum word count is approximately 2,000–2,500 words, excluding references, tables, or figures. Generic (class-level) written feedback will be provided.

In-person exam (75%):

The final examination consists of a larger number of short-answer questions covering the breadth of the course. Similar to formative assessment. Questions are designed to test conceptual understanding, interpretation of empirical material, and the ability to compare and evaluate different approaches to welfare measurement. Students are required to answer a specified number of questions from a larger choice. The exam is intended to take place in the Spring examination period.