PS 410/510

Advanced Methods and Modeling in Political Science   

Wednesdays 2pm-450pm

Instructor Mikhail Myagkov x64868 

myagkov@uoregon.edu

Class website: TBA

 

#1 Standing Ovation Article

#2 Framing in Public Goods

#3 Experiments in Public Goods Design

#4 Guide to ABM

#5 Experiments Exploring Prospect Theory

#6 Experiments on Prospect Theory and Sociality

#7 Survey of Public Goods Experiments

#8 “Neuroeconomics”\

#9 Turfs in the Lab ( Lynn Ostrom)

 

 

 

Description:

This an advanced class that will focus of three different areas of  advanced quantitative methodology in Political Science: Basics of experimental tools in Political Science and Economics, Advanced Statistical Tools ( ecological inference, Pareto Law etc ), Mathematical Models of Election Fraud, Agent Based Modeling.   Most of the methods, models and experiments we will consider/design in this class will employ tools/methods of Game Theory, and will require extensive command in calculus and math. Most of the experiments that we will consider will test Game Theory models. Thus knowledge of Game Theory is essential. Data will require use of statistical tools/methods. Therefore proficiency in basic statistical analysis and ability to quickly learn how to use statistical software packages (such as SPSS, for example)   is very important. The class time will be split between lectures, students presenting papers (pre-assigned), and students presenting and discussing their own projects. The main goal of this class is to help students become educated users of advanced methods  methods in social sciences.

Requirements:

There will be an in-class midterm exam ( 30% of the grade ) during the 6th week of the class. The exam will consist of several problems ( mostly related to statistical, mathematical and Game Theory methods ) that students will need to solve. Student will be able to choose three out of the set of five problems.

Final project ( 70% of the grade ). Each student is required to complete his/her own research project based on one of the methodologies covered in class. The final paper must include research questions, literature review, theory, models, software created, data collected/obtained, data analysis, conclusion.

The first part of the paper  ( paper in progress ) is due at the time of the first midterm. Each student will be required to make at least one class presentation on his chosen methods.

There is a prerequisite for this class: a successful completion of an upper division class on Game Theory. No students without this prerequisite  will be allowed in this class.

 

Methodologies Considered: 

1. Experimental Design

Topics Considered:

Basic Ideas and Methods of Experimental Design

Public Goods

Coordination Problems 

Prisoners Dilemma

Prospect theory 

Individual Decision Making

Bargaining

Repeated Game 

Auctions

Readings:

The handbook of experimental economics / Plott and Smith/ 2008 ( required for that topic)

The handbook of experimental economics / John H. Kagel and Alvin E. Roth,

1995 

Experimental methods : a primer for economists / Daniel Friedman and Shyam Sunder, 1994

The methodology of experimental economics / Francesco Guala, 2005

2. Advanced statistical methods

Topics Considered:

Ecological Inference

Aggregation Errors

Pareto Law

Power Law

Readings:

Forensics of Election Fraud / Myagkov, Shakin and Ordeshook / 2009 ( required for that topic)

 

A solution to the ecological inference problem / Garry King 1997

 

3. Agent Based Modeling

Topics Considered:

Computational Methods

Environments

Validation

Design

Learning models

 

Readings:

 Agent-Based Models (Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences)/ Nigel Gilbert 2008