5912373: C24 Research Methods

Description

Research Methods covers the fundamentals of qualitative and experimental research methods commonly applied in economics and finance. The course focusses on methods to address research questions for which archival data is not available or suitable. Students will be able to differentiate between quantitative and qualitative research approaches and reflect upon respective advantages and disadvantages.

Key topics covered are:

• Behavioural finance, prospect theory, and risk patterns in light of financial decision-making
• Differentiation between qualitative and quantitative methods
• Design of experiments
• Design of surveys
• Design of interviews
• Critical evaluation of causal inferences based on qualitative methods

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of the course, students will

Professional competence

• understand qualitative research process in economics and finance.
• be able to critically reflect upon methods and research models with respect to different research ques-tions.
• be able to formulate their own research question and design the respective research process.
• learn to engage with highest quality academic literature using qualitative methods.

• understand statistical inferences from experiments in view of econometric issues such as omitted varia-bles, unobserved variables, and self-selection.
• apply qualitative methods in explorative academic inquiries.
• construct appropriate research designs in light common statistic biases.

• be able to work and collaborate in groups to jointly examine a qualitative research topic
• present research findings clearly and embed them in the academic discourse.
• discuss diverse perspectives in qualitative research and analysis.

• critically reflect on analytical outcomes and present group task findings.

• be able to identify appropriate statistical tools for qualitative data analyses.

Lectures Method

• The course involves interactive lectures with exercises to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical design and analysis skills.

Literature

• Students are provided with the lecture slides and supplementary material (e.g., selected journal articles)

Materials

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