Prospectus

A prospectus is a research proposal that convinces the reader that you have an important question and details on how you will answer the question.
The prospectus should be approximately 5-7 pages (12-pt Times New Roman Font, 1.5 spacing, 1 inch margins) and should cite major related papers and include a bibliography. (The bibliography is not included in the page count.)

The prospectus consists of:

  • Introduction
  • Background / Context
  • Theory / Conceptual Framework
  • Proposed Data Sources
  • Research Design

As you read econ papers, see how the construct these various sections. You might want to select a handful as examples or guides.

Introduction

You should address the following points in your introduction. Read introductions in econ papers to see how they are written.

  • What is the research question?
  • Why should we care?
  • What have previous studies said about the topic?
  • What will your thesis contribute to the existing literature?
  • Briefly describe the research design.

Note that the introduction will NOT have any results at this stage.

Background / Context

This section will vary depending on your thesis. If you are looking at a specific policy, this section will give the reader some background on the history and context of the policy. Check in with me to see what this section might look like for your prospectus.

Theory / Conceptual Framework

Typically this is a brief section that describes how your “treatment” affects your outcome. One suggestion is to use create a figure with a causal chain. You can cite sources that support the various channels. Also consider confounders/omitted variables.

Data

The data section should address the following:

  • What are the data sources, and how will you obtain them?
  • Are there any key variables (such as geographic identifiers) that you need?
  • What is the unit of observation (individual, firm, county, state, etc.)?
  • How large is the sample size (rough guess)?

Places to look for data:

The proposal should be approximately 5-7 pages (12-pt Times New Roman Font, 1.5 spacing, 1 inch margins) and should cite major related papers and include a bibliography. (The bibliography is not included in the page count.)

Research Design1

This section should address the following:

  • Is it an experiment (RCT) or natural experiment (RD, IV, Diff-in-Diff)? (Or, can you make a strong claim that neither is necessary?)

    • For experiments: describe how you will collect data, survey questions, timeline, specific for the treatment and control arms, method of randomization, and a power calculation.
    • For natural experiments: detail the specifics of the research design

  • Write down the econometric model you will estimate, describe and define it. Be specific and include all subscripts.

  • Discuss in detail the identifying assumptions and why you believe they are plausible.

  • Discuss the ways the identifying assumptions may fail and how that would affect your estimates.

How to submit

I prefer that you use Microsoft Word as this will allow for direct comments on your prospectus. A handful of students in the past have used LaTeX which has a steep learning curve and is generally not worth the effort unless you really appreciate the aesthetics (and it will not improve your final grade.). If you want to learn LaTeX, I use LyX.

Submit your prospectus via Slack DM to me by the deadline.

  1. I will provide a lot of support in this area, especially for students who are not familiar with the various research designs.↩︎