CAS TPP: Impact Analysis

Learning objectives

The Certificate of Advanced Studies in Technology and Public Policy (CAS TPP): Impact Analysis degree equips participants with essential skills in technology and public policy analysis. The primary focus lies on assessing technology-related policy options in terms of their expected and actual effects.

As shown in the below figure, the CAS TPP: Impact Analysis focuses on the interface between policy (the output of the policy process, such as laws and regulations) and the effects of such policies on technology and society (outcomes).

The learning objectives of the CAS TPP: Impact Analysis degree are to equip participants with skills that are essential for:

• designing policy interventions based on systematic analyses of their expected economic, social, and political consequences before implementation (ex ante policy analysis);
• evaluating how implemented policy interventions perform in terms of their actual effectiveness, efficiency, and equity (ex post policy analysis).

The programme combines general skills in policy analysis with opportunities to apply these skills to each participant's set of technology-related knowledge and policy problems in their professional field (e.g., mobility, energy, public health, the digital space, urban planning, environment / sustainability, security).

Structure & Schedule

The CAS TPP: Impact Analysis degree is only offered in the spring semester of even years (e.g., 2024, 2026), taking place between the end of January and the middle of June.

The degree consists of three modules that are taught in 21 days of in-person classes, organised into approximately 10 blocks of two or three days each. The programme is worth 15 ECTS, which equals around 450 hours of workload in total. The credits reflect the total workload, including preparation and follow-up. Please note that the individual submodules and lectures can be subject to change.

Markets play an important function in modern societies by allocating resources and capital. Yet, important market failures require the intervention of public policy. This module introduces the fundamentals of micro- and macro-economics and thereby lays the foundation for the economic assessment of policy interventions.

Technologies substantially affect the way we live and how our societies function. Technological change, i.e., the innovation and diffusion of new technologies, is a fundamental driver of economic growth but can also have detrimental side effects. This module introduces methods to assess technology-related policy alternatives and to analyse how policies affect technological changes and society.

Effective management of risks and uncertainty as well as communication of scientific evidence to stakeholders and policy-makers are essential for successful policy-advice and policy-making. Hence, this module conveys the fundamentals of risk analysis/management and of writing for policy-makers. Besides an academic perspective, it features practitioners working at the technology-policy interface.