The course is a full-semester program for final-year undergraduate students. It is structured around Jeffrey M. Wooldridge's book Introductory Econometrics and incorporates teaching materials from Professor Aikaterini Kyriazidou (NYU Abu Dhabi). The focus is on applying statistical and economic theory to address problems related to formulating and estimating models of economic behavior. It covers key topics such as basic estimation theory, regression techniques, and extensions like specification error tests, heteroscedasticity, errors in variables, and panel data models. The course requires students to have a foundation in mathematics, statistics, and an applied econometrics data analysis course.
The course reviewed key econometric methods such as OLS, IV, panel data techniques, and experimental and quasi-experimental approaches (RCT, difference-in-differences, and regression discontinuity). My role was to provide concrete examples of econometric analyses from research papers and demonstrate these methods using Stata. The focus was on understanding the different functions available, recognizing their limitations, and accurately interpreting the results. The lectures were delivered by Wouter Gelade.
The course was based on Capital and Ideology and examined the historical evolution of inequality and the ideologies behind it across different regions. With a large class of over ninety students, my responsibilities included addressing student queries after lectures, preparing exam papers, and grading them. I designed exams with long essay questions to encourage critical thinking and help students organize and express their ideas clearly. This approach was especially rewarding, as students from diverse backgrounds contributed unique perspectives to their responses.