Research Methods and Econometrics

Introduction

The course provides an introduction to the research methods of the social sciences and to econometrics. Research methods is important for the understanding of the strengths, limitations and possibilities of applied research in general, and of econometric research in particular. Research methods also provides an insight into which approaches that are most appropriate for a certain research question. Regression analysis, a key component of econometrics, is a powerful and very flexible multivariate data analysis tool that can shed light on a very large number of economic issues.

Course content

• Revision of the relevant statistical and mathematical concepts
• Research questions, hypotheses and types of data
• Variation in research design, plurality of interpretation and the uncertainty of inference
• Simple and multiple regression
• Variation in functional form
• Regression with qualitative predictors
• Heteroscedasticity
• Autocorrelation
• Specification error and model selection
• Introduction to time series data: dynamic models and basic forecasting
• Qualitative left-hand side variables