Economics and Data Science

Catalog description

This course is at the intersection of economic analysis, computing and statistics. It develops foundational skills in these areas and provides students with hands-on experience in identifying, analyzing and solving real-world data challenges in economics and business. Students will learn the basics of database and data manipulation, how to visualize, present and interpret data related to economic and business activity by employing statistics and statistical analysis, machine learning, visualization techniques. Students will also be taught a programming language suitable for data science/analysis. Databases will include leading economic indicators; emerging market country indicators; bond and equity returns; exchange rates; stock options; education and income by zip code; sales data; innovation diffusion; experimental and survey data and many others. Applications will include analyzing the effectiveness of different Internet pricing strategies on firm sales, the impact of taking online classes on a worker's earnings, the relationship between regional employment and trade policies; constructing investment risk indices for emerging markets; predicting employee productivity with machine learning tools; assessing health (sleep and exercise) improvements associated with wearable technologies (e.g. FitBit). Additionally, the course will provide students with communication skills to effectively describe their findings for technical and non-technical audiences. Minimum grade of "C" required in all economics pre-requisite courses. Prerequisites: ( 36-225 or 36-220 or 36-219 or 36-218 or 36-217 or 36-202 or 36-201 or 70-207 or 36-200 or 21-325 or 36-247 or 15-259 or 36-207) and ( 73-102 or 73-104 )