How to Write about Economics and Public Policy

by Katerina Petchko

Overview

How to Write about Economics and Public Policy is designed to guide graduate students through conducting, and writing about, research on a wide range of topics in public policy and economics. This guidance is based upon the actual writing practices of professional researchers in these fields and it will appeal to practitioners and students in disciplinary areas such as international economics, macroeconomics, development economics, public finance, policy studies, policy analysis, and public administration. Supported by real examples from professional and student writers, the book helps students understand what is expected of writers in their field and guides them through choosing a topic for research to writing each section of the paper. This book would be equally effective as a classroom text or a self-study resource.

• Teaches students how to write about qualitative and quantitative research in public policy and economics in a way that is suitable for academic consumption and that can drive public policy debates
• Uses the genre-based approach to writing to teach discipline-appropriate ways of framing problems, designing studies, and writing and structuring content
• Includes authentic examples written by students and international researchers from various sub-disciplines of economics and public policy
• Contains strategies and suggestions for textual analysis of research samples to give students an opportunity to practice key points explained in the book
• Is based on a comprehensive analysis of a research corpus containing 400+ research articles in various areas of public policy and economics

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780128130117
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	07/12/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	472
File size:	64 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Katerina Petchko is Associate Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) where she directs the Center for Professional Communication and teaches courses in research methodology and academic writing. She is the developer of GRIPS’ Academic Writing Program, which teaches students to write in ways that members of their discipline find persuasive. She has advised graduate students in public policy and economics on dissertation and thesis writing for nearly two decades.

Table of Contents

1. What is Academic Writing?2. Research in Public Policy and Economics3. Research Topics and Paper Options4. Identifying Literature to Review5. Reading and Analyzing Literature6. Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Purpose Statements 7. Research Proposals8. Structure of a Research Paper9. Justifying Research: The Introduction10. Theory and Theoretical Frameworks11. Situating a Study: The Literature Review12. Literature Review: Models and Examples13. Data and Methodology14. Results, Discussion, and Conclusion15. Data, Methodology, Results, and Discussion: Models and Examples16. Writing Skills

Appendix A: Citation GuidesAppendix B: Model PapersAppendix C: Sources of Data for Public Policy and Economics ResearchAppendix D: Journals in Economics and Public Policy

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Offers economics and public policy researchers the critical analytical tools and persuasive skills needed to better convey their ideas

Editorial Reviews

"This is a clearly written, user-friendly volume on academic writing for economics and public policy. Being able to cogently deliver content based on academic research is one of the responsibilities of a researcher but can be a daunting task for a novice. This volume deconstructs the complex writing process into understandable steps which are lucidly explained with ample examples." —Judy Noguchi, Kobe Gakuin University

"Petchko presents a well-researched and thorough explanation of academic writing in economics in a comprehensive way suitable for anyone interested in economics work, including advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Special attention to problems faced by ESL writers. This volume demystifies economics writing and will likely become the standard." —Cynthia A. Cochran, Illinois College

"Writing a research paper is challenging for anyone, but Petchko’s book makes the process clear and straightforward. I especially like how she connects writing to the research process itself. The book will be very useful not only for students writing their first papers but also for experienced researchers who want to become even better writers." —Tom Gally, University of Tokyo

From the Publisher