Quantitative Methods

Descriptive Statistics

Measures of central tendency: mean, median, and mode

• MBB2, Chapter 2

Problem Set 1Distributed

Descriptive Statistics

Measures of variability and correlation: variance, standard deviation, covariance and correlation

* MBB2, Chapter 2

Basic Probability

Probability concepts

Probability properties

* MBB2, Chapter 3, Sections 3.1-3.3

Problem set 1 Due; Problem set 2 Distributed

Conditional Probability

Conditional probability
Bayes’ rule

* MBB2, Chapter 3, Sections 3.4-3.5

Probability Distributions: Discrete Distributions

Binomial distribution
Poisson distribution

* MBB2, Chapter 3, Sections 3.

* MBB2, Chapter 4

Problem set 2 Due; Problem set 3 Distributed

Probability Distributions: Continuous Distributions 

Uniform distribution

Normal distribution

* MBB2, Chapter 5

Sampling

Sampling distribution

The central limit theorem

* MBB2, Chapter 6

Problem set 3 Due; Problem set 4 Distributed

Statistical Estimation

Point estimation

Confidence Intervals

* MBB2, Chapter 7

Hypothesis Testing

Tests of Hyphotheses for Populuation Means

Tests of Hyphotheses for the Difference between Two Population Means

* MBB2, Chapter 8, Sections 8.1-8.5

Problem set 4 Due; Problem set 5 Distributed

Hypothesis Testing

Tests of Hyphotheses for Population Proportions

Tests of Hyphotheses for the Difference between Two Population Proportions

* MBB2, Chapter 8, Sections 8.7-8.8

Lab Practice: Introduction to Statistical Software Packages

Problem set 5 Due

Introduction to Econometrics

Simple Regression: The Basic Model and OLS

* RR5 Chapter 3, Sections 3.1 and 3.2; 3.A.3

* DG3 Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, Sections 3.1 and 3.2

Problem set 6 Distributed

Simple Regression: Properties of Estimators and Fitted Values

 * RR5 Chapter 3, Sections 3.3 and 3.4; 3.A.4, 3.A.6

Simple Regression: Hypothesis Tests & Confidence Intervals

 * RR5 Chapter 3, Sections 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10;

* DG3 Chapter 3, Section 3.5. Sections 3.6 - 3.8 optional.

* DG3 Chapter 5, Sections 5.1 - 5.8

Problem set 6 Due; Problem set 7 Distributed

Review

 Proposal of Term Project Due

Multiple Regression: Introduction & Estimation

*RR5 Chapter 4, Sections 4.1 and 4.2

*DG3 Chapter 7, Sections 7.1 - 7.5

Problem set 7 Due; Problem set 8Distributed

Multiple Regression: Estimation (Continued)

*RR5 Chapter 4, Sections 4.1 and 4.2

*DG3 Chapter 7, Sections 7.1 - 7.5

Multiple Regression: Model Selection and Hypothesis Testing

*RR5 Chapter 4, Sections 4.3 and 4.4

*DG3 Chapter 8, Sections 8.1 - 8.5

Problem set 8 Due; Problem set 9 Distributed

Multiple Regression: Model Selection and Hypothesis Testing (continued)

*RR5 Chapter 4, Sections 4.3 and 4.4

*DG3 Chapter 8, Sections 8.1 - 8.5

Review

 First Draft of Term Project Due

Specification Error:
Omission of Relevant Variables and Inclusion of Irrelevant Ones

*RR5, Section 4.5

*DG3, Chapter 13

Problem set 9 Due; Problem set 10 Distributed

Functional Form

 *RR5, Sections 6.1 - 6.12

*DG3, Sections 6.3, 7.10, 7.11

Empirical Study & Modeling Strategy

Problem set 10 Due; Problem set 11 Distributed

Qualitative Independent Variables (Dummy Variables)

*RR5, Chapter 7

*DG3, Chapter 15

Limited Dependent Variable

 *DG3, Chapter 16

Final Review

Problem set 11 Due

Final Draft of Term Project Due