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Syllabus

EN IT

Learning Objectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The aim of this course is to acquaint students with the basics of R, MATLAB, Stata and Python and their usage in applied economics.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: the final goal is to gain knowledge of the analytical tools to understand the most common micro and macro-econometric models, even in a research context.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: develop the ability to deal with the empirical analysis of micro and macro models in a systematic way.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS: acquire the computational and methodological tools to analyze the choices of the national and european policy makers.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: students must be able to deliver the emprical results, in a rigorous way, to an (expert or non-expert) audience.

LEARNING SKILLS: students can undertake the in-depth study of the considered, or other, softwares.

Prerequisites

Standard results in mathematical analysis, linear algebra, and the theory of random variables and stochastic processes (probability spaces, sigma-algebras, and measurability).

The prerequisites are the same for both attending and non-attending students.

Program

The course is divided into two thematic areas and consists of 18 two-hour lectures.
There are no content differences in the programs between attending and non-attending students.

Thematic Area 1: Coding.
This thematic area will be covered in the first nine lectures of the course.
The main topics covered in this area are:
Working with UI's, Variables and commands, Vectors, Matrices, Scripts, Time data, Tabular data, Conditional data selection, Missing data, functions, Automation, Model estimation on empirical data, Problem-solving.

Thematic Area 2: Theory and Practice of Linear Regressions.
This thematic area will be covered from lecture 10 to the final lecture (lecture 18).
The main topics covered in this area are:
Simple Linear Model
• OLS estimators
• R²
• Properties of the OLS estimator
• Conditional variance
• Variance estimation
• Statistical inference
• The CAPM model
Multiple Linear Regression:
• Review of linear algebra
• Properties of the OLS estimator
• Conditional variance
• Variance estimation
• Multicollinearity
• The Gauss-Markov theorem
• Multiple hypothesis testing
• Maximum likelihood
• Model comparison
• Omitted variables and irrelevant variables
• Measurement errors
• Asymptotic properties of OLS estimators.

Books

Wooldridge J. M. (2016). Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach.
Brooks C. (2014). Introductory Econometrics for Finance.
Jacod and Protter (2004). Probability Essentials. Springer.

Bibliography

Wooldridge J. M. (2016). Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach.
Brooks C. (2014). Introductory Econometrics for Finance.
Jacod and Protter (2004). Probability Essentials. Springer.

Teaching methods

The lectures are classroom-based and cover the explanation of all the main elements of linear regression theory, the principles and logic of programming, with particular attention to financial applications.

Exam Rules

It should be noted that no distinction is made in the examination procedures between attending and non-attending students.

This is a Pass/Fail course. The examination consists of a written test. In order to pass the course, students must correctly answer at least 98% of the questions in the written test, namely the final examination.

Student assessment consists of a written test featuring basic programming problems and linear regression exercises on artificial datasets. The written test covers all topics addressed during the 18 in-person lectures, including purely theoretical topics. Any of these topics may be included in the examination.

There are no midterm tests and no exemptions of any kind.

During the written test, the use of any AI tool or any other device, apart from the computer required to take the exam, is strictly prohibited. During the examination, students may not browse the Internet or access any course materials of any kind.

Anyone who violates these rules will be removed from the examination venue and, from that moment onward, will be required to take an oral examination, as described below.

The student must demonstrate full knowledge of all theoretical topics covered in class and must be able to solve theoretical problems related to the theory of linear regression. The student must also demonstrate the ability to produce efficient code for the analysis of financial datasets, with particular reference to the theory of linear regression using OLS.

Finally, the student must demonstrate the ability to solve conceptual programming problems, even when they are not related to a specific application.

Should the instructor deem it necessary, the student may be required to undergo an oral assessment in the form of an interview. If required, this interview will cover all topics addressed during the in-person lectures, whether theoretical, applied, or related to code development.

Attendance Rules

Presence in the classroom.