Raphaelle Gauvin-Coulombe

Empirical Methods in Macroeconomics
This course is designed to provide students the tools needed to carry out empirical research projects in macroeconomics. We will examine current empirical methods used to identify causal effects in macroeconomics using both time series and panel data sets. We will cover different identification strategies such as timing restrictions, external instruments, and the narrative approach. We will then apply these different methods to the analysis of contemporary and historical macroeconomic data. Prerequisites: (ECON 0211 and ECON 0250) 3 hrs. lct.

Senior Research Workshop I
In this first semester, students will design and begin their projects. Emphasis will be on designing a novel research question (while making the case for its importance) and an appropriate strategy for answering it. This requires immersion in the academic literature on the topic. General research principles and tools will be taught in class, as a group, while those specific to individual projects will be covered in one-on-one meetings. By the end of the term, students will outline their plan for completing the project, including demonstrating that it is a feasible research question for which the necessary information (e.g., data or source materials) is available or can be generated by the student (e.g., lab or other experiment). (Approval required)

Senior Research Workshop II
In this second semester of the senior research workshop sequence, the focus is on the execution of the research plan developed in ECON 0701. Most instruction is now one-on-one but the workshop will still meet as a group to discuss and practice the presentation of results in various formats (seminars, poster sessions, et cetera) to the rest of the workshop and others in the college and broader communities. Feedback and critiques from such presentations will be incorporated into the project, which will culminate in a research paper in the style of an economics journal article. (ECON 0701; Approval required)