Unlock Europe: AI-driven Data Analytics for Policy-analysis

Programme Overview

Week 1: EU Policy-making, Evaluation & Data Analytics

Day 1: Understanding the EU Policy Cycle
o    Introduction to EU institutions and policy-making mechanisms
o    Workshop on regulatory burdens and policy outcomes

Day 2: EU Better Regulation Approach & Impact Assessments
o    Principles of EU regulation: transparency, subsidiarity, proportionality
o    Hands-on impact assessment techniques (cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria analysis)

Day 3: Red Tape Reduction & Administrative Efficiency
o    Introduction to Regulatory Fitness (REFIT), Standard Cost Model (SCM), and digital governance solutions
o    Practical assignment: Evaluate and simplify administrative processes using data analytics

Day 4: Data Manipulation with PowerQuery & R/Python for Policy Evaluation
o    Concepts: Data integration for impact assessments, data-driven evaluation techniques
o    Extended hands-on exercises and assignments: Preparing, processing, and analyzing data for policy assessments using R/Python

Day 5: Visit to EU Institutions & Practitioners Discussion
o    Interaction with EU policy-makers, practical insights into daily governance tasks

Week 2: Advanced Data Techniques, AI & Practical Applications

Day 6: Advanced Data Manipulation with R/Python
o    Advanced R/Python workshop for in-depth policy data analysis
o    Assignment: Complex data handling and analysis scenarios relevant to EU policy

Day 7: Data Visualization for Policy Evaluation
o    Shortened workshop on essential data visualization principles (ggplot, interpreting policy data)
o    Brief assignment: Visualizing key policy evaluation insights

Day 8: AI-assisted Web Scraping & Structured Data Extraction in Policy Analysis
o    Techniques in web scraping using PowerQuery, R/Python for policy data collection
o    Assignment: Scraping, structuring, and analyzing data for enhanced policy evaluation

Day 9: Case Studies: EU AI Act & Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
o    Practical applications of AI-driven policy evaluation, data analytics in impact assessment
o    Group project: Critical analysis and presentations linking data, AI, and evaluation methodologies

Day 10: Policy Evaluation Project Presentations & Reflections
o    Participants present their group projects and data-driven policy evaluations
o    Interactive debrief, feedback session, and final reflections

•    Active class participation and engagement
•    In-class group presentations (data analyses, policy evaluation)
•    Final individual paper synthesizing learned methodologies and proposing evidence-based policy recommendations