Research Proposals and Plan

Research Proposal

The research proposal is a starting point for a research project. It’s a basic structure that can help you think through specific aspects of a new project and begin to assess its viability and its potential contribution. Each proposal is worth 10 points toward your final grade and should be 2 pages (not including a bibliography), double-spaced, with 12-point font and 1-inch margins. You’ll submit three proposals thoughout the semester (due dates of February 5, February 26, and March 26).

Each research proposal should consist of the following sections, with each section worth 2 points toward the proposal grade. An additional 2 points apply to meeting the formatting requirements.

What is your research question?

This should be formulated as an input-output question, e.g., I’m interested in studying the effects of T on Y, or I’m interested in understanding the association between X and Y. While there are many types of research questions, in general your question should satisfy three key criteria (adapted from Jesse Shapiro’s “Four Steps to an Applied Micro Paper”)

  • The question has an answer. We may not know what the answer is, but we can agree that an answer exists. “What is the effect on quantity sold of imposing a price ceiling on ketchup?” has an answer. “What is the nature of firm and consumer behavior in the ketchup industry?” does not.
  • The answer is not obvious. We cannot readily determine the answer to the question based on logic, common sense, or existing evidence. “Would making ketchup available only on Tuesdays improve consumer welfare?” has an answer, but we can probably guess what it is.
  • The answer is actionable. If we knew the answer, someone (say, a policymaker, firm, or NGO) might care to do things differently. “What is the effect on consumer welfare of imposing uniform wholesale pricing on the ketchup market?” seems actionable, because in fact ketchup is subject to uniform wholesale pricing restrictions in the US, and a policymaker might be interested to know whether such restrictions are a good idea. “What is the effect on consumer welfare of a technology that instantly transports ketchup to your fries whenever you need it?” seems more hypothetical.

What is the hook?

Why is your question important and relevant? This should be aimed at a general audience, not someone specific to your field and perhaps not even to an economist.

What is your economic model?

Your research question should be specific enough so that you are able to write down a model, an equation, or a series of equations that would facilitate answering this question. The model is not simply a mathematical representation of your research question. Rather, it should help inform the empirical methods and variation you will be using.

What is the data and source of variation used for identification?

You must provide a detailed description of the data that you plan to use to estimate the model and answer the research question. This must include a discussion of where the variation in the data is coming from, why is it credible, and how it maps onto the research question. You don’t need to have the data yet, but you need to know it exists and how to access it. The data must also be accessible in a reasonable time period. Course instructors are expected to verify the existence and feasibility of obtaining the data.

Research Plan

Your research plan consists of a three-page report addressing the following five points:

  1. What is your research question? (from research proposal)
  2. What is the hook? (from research proposal)
  3. What is your economic model? (from research proposal)
  4. What is the data and source of variation used for identification? (from research proposal)
  5. What is the value-added? Given points (1) to (4), what do we know in the literature about this problem? What are the relevant papers when it comes to the topic, methods, and data? How exactly do you contribute to the literature, above and beyond what was already done. Note that doing the same thing for a different population or using different methods or different data is not exciting unless the hook is related to the specific population, data, method, etc. The research plan is therefore an extension of the research proposal that includes the equivalent of a small-scale literature review.

The research plan is worth 10 points toward your final grade (2 points per section of the report). It is due via Canvas on April 21. You will also present your final research plan to the class on April 21 and April 23.