Metrics of Prosperity: Data Analysis for Health, Well-being, and the Economy (PEC2108.01)
This course introduces students to econometric approaches to asking and answering questions about health, well-being, and the economy. The primary aim of the course is to understand how economists analyze data to determine causal effect. We will analyze data sets to ask and answer socioeconomic questions such as: What factors affect a person’s income, and how do we know? How can we identify the underlying causes of and potential solutions for regional variations in healthcare access and outcomes? Students will learn how to run regressions using the Stata statistical software package, becoming familiar with different types of data such as cross-sectional, time series, and panel data. We will also think critically about the quantitative methods that we practice, evaluating their strengths, limitations, and intellectual history.
Office hours: Drop-in Wednesdays 10am-12pm (first come, first served) or by appointment.
Office: Barn 216A
Course location: Commons 327 and Commons 319
Course time: Tues & Fri 2:10 - 4:00
You can access books on reserve at the front desk in Crossett Library. Simply share the call number with the person at the desk and they will get the book for you.
The Craft of Political Research by 
The Elements of Social Scientific Thinking by 
Introductory Econometrics by 
Using Stata for Quantitative Analysis by 
The Methodology of Economics: Or How Economists Explain by
This book is an examination of the nature of economic explanation. The opening chapters introduce current thinking in the philosophy of science and review the literature on methodology. Blaug then turns to the troublesome question of the logical status of welfare economics, giving the reader an understanding of the outstanding issues in the methodology of economics.