This is a seminar in empirical macroeconomics, including its international aspects.
We shall focus on developing skills to:
(a) Find a research question that is interesting to you (and others) and feasible to study.
(b) Collect data and apply statistical and econometric tools to answer that question. (Some projects will involve time-series data while others will add a dimension and use panel data.)
(c) Write a research paper and design and deliver a presentation in clear English.
Here are some examples of the types of questions one might consider:
Do oil-price shocks feed through into inflation?
Can we forecast exchange-rate changes? Has the inflation rate become more persistent over time?
Does investment in the capital stock lead to faster productivity growth?
Is there still a Phillips curve? Is there evidence of economic convergence among regions or countries?
How does openness to international capital flows affect a country's growth or business cycles?