Tackling the PhD

.title[
# Tackling the PhD
]
.subtitle[
## <rrtit>Finding the right research question</rrtit>
]
.author[
### <img src="images/swan2.png" /><br>Dr. Kumar Aniket
]
.date[
### <rrtit>17 October 2023</rrtit>
]

---

# econversation.github.io

---

# The plan

---

# Research: .emn[Direction]

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Take the time to find your .emob[true north]

---

# Research: .emn[Momentum]

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Once you have discovered your true north ...

... .emob[kick-start] the research effort with momentum

---

# Research: .emn[Stamina]

Realise that research requires constantly getting lost ...

... and then .emob[finding your way out]

---

# Research: .emn[Invest early]

Invest time early on to prevent a disaster ...

... and .emob[changing direction] at a later stage

---

# .fade[Mission to the moon]

---

## Casual questions and curiosity?

Your angst and pet peeves

A narrative you are convinced about

Journalistic question <br><br>

## What is a good research question?

You .embc[don't know] the answer

Discover the .embc[academic] wheel

add a .embc[relevant] spoke

---

## .emn[Casual Curiosity]

What effect does social media have on people’s minds?

]

## .emob[Research Question]

What effect does daily .emob[use of Twitter] have on the .emob[attention span] of under-16s?

]

Has there been an increase in homelessness in Delhi in the past ten years?

]

What .emob[economic], .emob[political] and .emob[social factors] have .emob[effected the pattern] of homelessness in Delhi over the past ten years?

]

How can drunk driving be prevented?

]

What effects have  the .emob[different legal approaches] had on number of drink-driving related .emob[death] across the world?

]

---

## How can drunk driving be prevented?

How do drink-driving deaths vary across countries?

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Proportion of road accident deaths caused by drink-driving in 2015*

]

---

# How can drunk driving be prevented?

### .empb[Formulating a research question]

How do drink-driving deaths vary across countries?

How do drink-driving deaths vary across time?

How do drink-driving deaths vary .emob[across countries] and .emob[over time]?

]

.pull-right.tack[

Do drink-drivers .emob[respond] to .emob[changes in laws]?

Do drink-driving laws vary .emob[across countries] and .emob[over time]?

]

.pull-right.tack[

Or do .emob[laws get tougher] in countries where there are .emob[too many drink-driving deaths]?

]

---

## Google Scholar

Search for ".emob[drink driving]"

---

]

Cited by .emo[157]

]

---

## How do journal publish papers

]

Articles are refereed by two more peer-reviewers who try to evaluate whether research is valid

Journals establish their quality through peer-review

]

]

How many times has it been cited by other authors

]

]

Average frequency of articles being cited each year

]

---

# Writing the Dissertation

---

# .empb[What is a literature?]

A group of papers answering the same .emob[academic research question]?

&nbsp;

## .empb[What is a survey article?]

Points out the .emob[gaps in the literature]

---

# .empb[Background research process]

Read papers to find the .emob[direction]

]

]

Explore the .emob[footnotes]

]

Best research .emob[ideas] comes out of .emob[footnotes]

]

&nbsp;

.center.w80.tack[

It is very .emob[messy] but .emob[rewarding] process

]

---

# .empb[What is a literature review]

Create a .emob[curiosity] in the<br> reader's mind

]

&nbsp;

Gives readers .emob[background information] about the .emob[literature]

]

&nbsp;

.center.w80.tack[

Helps them .emob[understand] your dissertation

]

---

# .empb[Writing a literature review]

Arrange papers in .emob[concentric circles]

Put your .emob[dissertation] right in the .emob[centre]

Give them .emob[space proportional] to their .emob[importance]

Write the .embc[literature review at the end]

---

# .empb[What is research?]

Conducting a .emob[systematic investigation]

&nbsp;

Using .emob[relevant]  sources

]

in order to .emob[establish facts]

]

&nbsp;

and reach well founded .emob[conclusions]

]

that either .emob[advances theory] or has some .emob[policy implication]

]

---

# .empb[Research plan]

---

# .empb[Research plan]

.emob[Momentum:] Once you have discovered your true north kick-start the research effort with momentum

.emob[Stamina:]  Realise that research requires constantly getting lost and then finding your way out

.emob[Invest early:] Invest time early on to prevent a disaster and changing direction at a later stage

---

class:center,middle,inverse

# Papers

&nbsp;

# Ideas

---

## Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson (2001)

&nbsp;

]

]

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S., and Robinson, J. (2001). The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical

]

---

# Settler Mortality

]

use .empb[settler mortality] as **instrument** for the .emob[quality of institutions]

]

&nbsp;

.center.mygraph.tack[<img src="images/settlers.png" height="250" alt="Settlers mortality">
]

---

.pull-left.tack[

.emn[Reinikka and Svensson (2004)] investigates whether the .emob[information campaign] the Ugandan Central government initiated between 1995 and 2001 had an impact in increasing the .emob[share of allocated grants] the .emob[schools] were able to obtain for themselves.

]

.pull-right.tack[

.emn[Burgess and Pande (2005)] use a clever econometric technique to examine the impact of Indian government's .emob[bank nationalisation] policy in 1970s on district level .emob[consumption], .emob[savings] and .emob[poverty].

]

Reinikka, R. and Svensson, J. (2004). The power of information: Evidence from a newspaper campaign to reduce capture of public funds.

Burgess, R., and R. Pande (2005). Do rural banks matter? Evidence from the Indian social banking experiment. American economic review 95, 3:780–795.

]

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