STV9020B – Statistical Analysis
Course description
Course content
Political scientists often pose questions that necessitate analysis of data with particular “complicating” features. Examples are:
- How does EU membership affect foreign direct investment in the short- and long-term (which requires repeated observations for different countries over time)?
- Do particular parliamentary institutions affect the number of article changes made to a government bill during the legislative process (which requires count data on number of changes to a particular bill)?
- Does engaging in international conflict increase or decrease the survival chances of autocratic regimes (which require data on the duration of autocratic regimes)? This course provides a set of tools suitable for analyzing this kind of data and questions.
The course is split in three.
- time series and panel data
- models that are commonly used for analyzing qualitative or countable dependent variables
- survival models, suitable for analyzing the duration of different phenomena
In addition, the course addresses how to interpret and present results to the general audience.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
Students will:
- know different types of data structures and types of dependent variables, including time-series data, panel data, count data, censored data, and duration data
- know how to address issues of autocorrelation in time series and panel data
- know the Random Effects and Fixed Effects models, and their benefits and drawbacks in different situations
- know of autoregressive and first-differenced models, and how to employ the time dimension to better address issues of (reverse) causality, e.g. through lagging or through conducting simple Granger tests
- know how to estimate, evaluate and graphically present results from interaction effects
- know how to use simple simulation tools to interpret and present results
- know how to properly estimate, evaluate and interpret results from various models of discrete choices and outcomes
- know the particular challenges associated with analyzing limited dependent variables and count outcomes
- know the Poisson and Negative Binomial models, and their benefits and drawbacks in different situations
- know the challenges associated with statistically analyzing the duration of events
- know how to transform standard (e.g. country-year) data sets into a duration format
- know simple parametric and the standard Cox semi-parametric duration/survival models
- obtain a good grasp of the benefits and drawbacks various statistical models, and in which situations the different models are more and less appropriate;
- learn how to properly present statistical material visually in tables and figures.
Skills
Students will:
- be able to critically read and evaluate existing statistical studies in political science;
- be able to handle data sets using R;
- be able to apply the various statistical models mentioned above, and learn how to properly test hypotheses, interpret results, and draw careful conclusions;
- be able to replicate statistical studies in political science, and to conduct independent statistical studies.
Competences
Students will:
- enhance their capabilities in carrying out thorough, independent and critical analysis of complex questions;
- enhance their capabilities in critically evaluating empirical research
- enhance their understanding of various elements of the scientific process, including aspects of the relation between theory and empirical evidence and between concepts and measures.
Admission
This course is a combinded Master's and PhD course.
PhD candidates from UiO: Apply for the course in StudentWeb
Other PhD candidates: Application form
Application deadline: 1 October 2017
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
STV4020A – Forskningsmetode og statistikk (discontinued) or courses with eqiuvalent learning outcomes in OLS regression, logistic regression and a statistical package (such as SPSS or R).
Overlapping courses
6 credits overlap with STV9025 – Quantitative political science (discontinued)
Teaching
Lectures and computer classes.
Examination
Essay (6-8000 Words)
Language of examination
You submit your response in English or Norwegian.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.