2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

TRAN5631M Economic Appraisal and Economic Performance

15 creditsClass Size: 30

Module manager: John Nellthorp
Email: j.nellthorp@its.leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Pre-requisite qualifications

Economics (Level 3 preferred)

Alternatively, students with a strong quantitative background can approach the Module Leader to discuss the possibility of joining with a lower level of economics, some catch-up work before the start of the module may be required. The student may be asked to sit in on selected lectures in TRAN5060 Welfare Economics and Cost-Benefit Analysis in Semester 1.

This module is mutually exclusive with

TRAN5540M	Railway Investment Appraisal
TRAN5630M	Transport Investment Appraisal

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This advanced economics module will provide students with the opportunity to study the latest developments in economic appraisal, focusing on the key theoretical innovations and their application. Students will learn about the economic analysis underpinning the evaluation of major infrastructure projects such as the Elizabeth Line and HS1&2, urban realm improvements, active travel measures which impact public health and a range of other interventions which test the boundaries of current methods.

Objectives

This module aims to give students an understanding how economic appraisal is being transformed as it opens up to related areas of economic science, including the new economic geography, modern welfare economics, health economics and the latest valuation techniques. The objectives are:

1. To extend students’ knowledge of transport appraisal into multi-modal and multi-sectoral contexts.

2. To give students an understanding of the most important causal linkages through which transport networks impact on the wider economy, and the evidence about the size of those impacts for different types of intervention.

3. To give students an understanding of the most important causal linkages through which transport networks and the urban realm impact on quality of life, and how these impacts can be captured in welfare analysis - including how we bring health into the analysis.

4. To help students develop a working understanding and a critical appreciation of the methods and tools of appraisal that are used in the UK and internationally work, in terms of theory, methods, and data.

5. To teach, practice and test students’ ability to carry out key components of modern economic appraisal for infrastructure projects and other interventions.

6. To become familiar with case studies which demonstrate the use of these appraisal techniques in practice, and to be able to discuss future applications and critically assess the potential for different appraisal methods to support better public decision-making in future.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will have achieved:

1. An understanding of the key areas of the research frontier in transport appraisal, including in relation to economic performance. The will be tested through questions relating to the latest research findings, covered in lectures.

2. An operational understanding of how modern economic appraisal and evaluation are applied to real interventions, with a particular focus on transport, infrastructure and land use change.

3. Familiarity with and the use of key tools and techniques of multi-modal appraisal.

4. An understanding of the most important causal linkages through which transport networks impact on the wider economy, and the evidence about the size of those impacts for different types of intervention.

5. An understanding of the most important causal linkages through which transport networks and the urban realm impact on quality of life, and how these impacts can be captured in welfare analysis - including how we bring health into the analysis.

6. Knowledge of relevant past case studies, and the potential for future applications and methodological developments.


Skills Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:

1. Academic skills – including research skills, critical thinking, reflection and academic writing.

2. Digital skills – including digital proficiency, problem solving and collaboration.

3. Sustainability skills – including integrated systems thinking and the application of welfare economics to all 3 pillars of sustainability.

4. Work ready skills – including time management, communication and problem solving.

5. Enterprise skills – including information search.

6. Technical skills on transport appraisal – including economic analysis and use of spreadsheet models, conduct of multi-sectoral welfare assessments using spreadsheets and other relevant software, and consistent application of discounted cash-flow analysis to these assessments.

Syllabus

Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lectures	8	2.00	16.00
seminars	1	2.00	2.00
Practicals	4	1.50	6.00
Independent online learning hours			2.00
Private study hours			124.00
Total Contact hours			24.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Practical workshops provide the opportunity for face to face individual and group-based feedback on learning progression. Interactive exercises on various lectures during the module also allow for progress monitoring. A revision session is scheduled in between the last lecture and the deadline for the coursework, and this provides an opportunity for Q&A and an open discussion to monitor class progress.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Assignment	Coursework	50.00
Assignment	OTLA	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 23/04/2024

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