Topics
Topics/Themen of the summer term 2025:
1. Lead Exposure and Health
2. Publish or Perish? The Importance of Citations for Academic Careers
3. Birthweight Manipulation and Hospital Reimbursement
4. Police Violence and Educational Outcomes
5. Surname Initials and Academic Success
6. COVID-19 Mobility Restrictions and Crimes
7. Gender Bias in the Publishing Process
8. Natural Catastrophes and Fertility
9. Migration and Political Preferences
10. Additional Demand for Donations and Substitution Effects
11. School Meals and Child Outcomes
12. News Media and Anti-Immigrant Attitudes
13. Naturalization and Child Outcomes
14. Determinants of Opioid Addiction
15. Determinants of Organ Donations
16. Chess and Education Performance
17. Immigration and School Performance of Natives
18. Determinants of Judge Decisions
19. Behavioral Impacts of Air Pollution
20. Parenthood and Earnings Penalties
21. Health Effects of Medicaid Expansion
22. Bartik Instruments in Migration Research
23. Sports Facilities and Ripple Effect
24. Efficacy of Gun Control Laws
25. Behavioral Effects of Video Games
Suggesting an own bachelor thesis topic-guidelines for the application:
- In case you want to write your bachelor thesis on a self-chosen topic, we would ask you to consider the following points in your application:
- Provide a (causal) research question for your topic (e.g. "Does an increase in x cause an increase in y?", "Does policy x cause a reduction in y?"...)!
- Suggest 2-3 empirical papers that tackle the suggested research question! Look for papers that make use of counterfactual methods i.e. Regression Discontinuity Designs, Difference-in-Differences, Instrumental variables, (Propensity Score) Matching, Synthetic Control Method.
- Write a short motivation for the topic: Why is the topic relevant? Provide context on the policy/main explanatory variable you want to investigate! Why is the topic interesting? Four to five sentences should suffice.
- In case the suggested topic is not suitable for a thesis at our chair, please signal whether you would be willing to write a thesis on a topic suggested by the chair (see list below) or you would prefer writing your thesis at another chair!