Economics 221:000
Empirical Methods in Economics
Department of Economics, Emory University
Spring 2012, MWF 10:40-11:30
Prof. Sara Markowitz
Rich Memorial Building Room 306G
Phone: 404-712-8167
Email: sara.markowitz@emory.edu
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:30am-10:30 and by appointment.
Teaching Assistant
Josh Robinson
Rich Memorial Building Room 310
Email: jjrobi2@emory.edu
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students in economics to methods of
empirical analysis. Students will learn to summarize data, formulate and estimate a model,
conduct appropriate analyses of research questions, and interpret the results. Emphasis will be
placed on techniques to evaluate claims made by researchers, particularly in regards to causal
relationships.
Prerequisites:
ECON 220
Required Text:
JH Stock & MW Watson, Introduction to Econometrics, 2nd or 3rd Edition, Pearson Addison Wesley.
Statistical Software:
Assignments can be completed with the statistical software of your choice. However, I will use
Stata for demonstration and instruction. You may access Stata from the economics department
computer lab, or with the appropriate login from elsewhere on campus. You may also purchase a
student version, Small Stata 12 (http://www.stata.com/order/new/edu/gradplans/gpcampus.html). The current price is $49.00 for an annual license or $32 for a six month license.
Blackboard:
All class assignments and datasets will be posted on blackboard. Please check it frequently for
updates.
Grading:
Assignment
Homeworks
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Final
Percent of total grade
10%
20%
20%
20%
30%
Due Date
Ongoing throughout semester
Feb. 13
March 5
April 2
May 4, 8:30-11:00am
1
Classroom Policies:
1. Attendance is required.
2. Cell phones must be turned off during class.
3. Students missing any exam will be given a zero for that exam. No make-ups will be given unless a
valid excuse is presented prior to the exam. Make-up exams will be given only in extreme
emergencies at the discretion of the Instructor, and will require written documentation from a college
Dean. In the event that a make-up is required for the final, the student will be given an incomplete
and will make up the exam during the next semester.
4. Once a date for a make-up exam is agreed upon, this exam is subject to the same rules as
outlined in policy #3.
5. Homeworks must be turned in on time. Each homework is worth 20 points. Five points will
be deducted for every class day the assignment is handed in late.
6. Anyone using the testing services of the Office of Access, Disability Services and Resources
must schedule exams at least 1 week prior to the exam, and preferably earlier. The spaces
fill up quickly.
Honor Code:
I expect you to abide by the Emory University Honor Code. You can find it on the web
(http://college.emory.edu/current/standards/honor_code.html).
Course Outline:
Topics
Course overview
Review of basic statistics
Hypothesis testing and confidence intervals
Linear regression with one regressor
Linear regression with multiple regressors
Non-linear regression functions
Assessing results
Regression with binary dependent variables
Topics in establishing causality:
Instrumental variable estimation
Panel data
Experiments and quasi-experiments
Reading
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 3
Chs. 4 and 5
Chs. 6 and 7
Ch. 8
Ch. 9
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch. 10
Ch. 13
2