Archive: detailed course information for the summer semester 2016

Information for the participants of course 040057 (Macro-econometrics)

· Exact dates for tests are convened in class, often in the first course units. Only participants who attend have voting or veto power.

· Attendance is mandatory. I am not going to check it, however. Never complain that you missed information by not attending.

· Participants are expected to read this page (the teaching page) on a regular basis. I am always trying to keep it up-to-date.

· On March 11, we had no teaching, as this was the official dies academicus.

· In the unit on March 7, we convened a date for the midterm test. This test was on Monday, May 2. Participants have been informed on their performance in this test by e-mail.

· The term structure data (various interest rates) that were used in class can be accessed here. And here is a short Stata code, just for correct dates read from the file.

· A role-model test from last year for the midterm test on May 2 is available here. Course contents and emphasis on specific issues may change over the years. This time, the relevant material was the first slide section that roughly corresponds to Section 8 of the Verbeek textbook.

· The tables of significance points for residual-based cointegration tests by Phillips and Ouliaris can be accessed here.

· In the unit on May 6, we convened a date for the final test. The majority opted for Friday, June 10, thus overruling the original plan to hold a test in the last course unit. Results of the test on June 10 have been sent to participants. 34 persons have taken part in this test.

· Last year’s final test can be accessed here. Please note, however, that course contents and emphasis may change over years.

· Participants are repeatedly asking for guidelines concerning the empirical project. The rules are simple:

(1) projects should be related to the course theme of macro-econometrics and should demonstrate the skills that you have acquired in this course (univariate and/or multivariate time series modeling, time-series panels; static regressions will not be accepted);

(2) data will not be provided: you are free to use any univariate or multivariate datasets of aggregate macroeconomic (such as GDP) or financial data (such as a stock market index) that is available to you;

(3) the project focuses on the data and econometric aspects: economic interpretations are welcome but not required;

(4) you are invited to work on the project in groups of one to three persons;

(5) final project reports not exceeding ten pages should be submitted not later than June 30, 2016.

· Some participants gave preliminary presentations of their empirical projects on Friday, June 24. This was a lively and informative session, with six presentations. These presentations well deserve to be awarded the promised 5 extra points.

· Please note that it really helps a lot if you keep me informed (e-mail) about (a) which groups you form for the projects and (b) which topic you are targeting.

Information for the participants of course 040079 (Panel data)

· Exact dates for tests are convened in class, often in the first course units. Only participants who attend have voting or veto power.

· Attendance is mandatory. I am not going to check it, however. Never complain that you missed information by not attending.

· Participants are expected to read this page (the teaching page) on a regular basis. I will always try to keep it up-to-date.

· Participants were interested in the code on fixed-effect estimation on Badi Baltagi’s role-model fuel data. My Stata code can be accessed here, and a text version of the fuel data can be accessed here.

· In the unit on March 7, we convened a date for the midterm test. Later, on April 6, however, we agreed on shifting this date to Monday, May 2.

· The code for two-way panel estimation based on Badi Baltagi’s data can be downloaded here.

· The data set for North Carolina crime that is also available from Baltagi’s pages can be downloaded here. The Stata code for instrumental variables regression that was used on this data can be accessed here.

· Last year this test here was used as a midterm test in a comparable course. Please be aware that course material, emphasis on issues, and other characteristics may change over the years, though. For the test on May 2, we convened the first three sets of slides (random effects and fixed effects, tests on specification and poolability, endogeneity, but excluding dynamic panels) as the relevant course material.

· Participants have been informed on the results of the first test on May 2. In the unit on May 4, we convened Monday, June 13 as the date for the second test. Participants have been informed on their performance on the second test by e-mail.

· Last year this test here was used as the final test in a comparable course. Please note, however, that relevant course material and emphasis may change over the years.

· Participants are repeatedly asking for guidelines concerning the empirical project. The rules are simple:

(1) projects should be related to the course theme of panel econometrics;

(2) data will not be provided: you are free to use any (economic or non-economic) panel data that is available to you;

(3) the project focuses on the data and econometric aspects: economic interpretations are welcome but not required;

(4) you are invited to work on the project in groups of one to three persons;

(5) final project reports not exceeding ten pages should be submitted not later than June 30, 2016.

· Participants were invited to give preliminary presentations of their empirical projects on Monday, June 27. Only one group actually presented, they definitely deserve to be awarded 5 extra points.

· All project papers are in now. Thank you very much for (more or less) meeting the deadline. Participants have been informed on scores and grades.