Political Institutions and Economic Performance Students define and carry out a project that involves replicating at least one important analysis dealing with the relationship between political regimes and economic performance, using the original data. The purpose is to help them understand the steps involved in the empirical examination of scientific propositions and, most importantly, to grasp how inferences are made on the basis of the data examined. They are encouraged both to understand the original analysis and to experiment with alternative approaches. The course has no prerequisite, but students are introduced to multiple regression, the main method used in the studies examined. Not all of the courses involve statistical analysis.
Students elicit their own utilities for hypothetical medical conditions.
Next, they carry out a decision analysis using several attributes, such as choosing a method for birth control. Data are collected on the Web and analyzed using Systat. The Family Students complete a questionnaire concerning their own families. Students then propose hypotheses to test, concerning correlations among various answers, and they discuss and test these hypotheses. Each student writes a 5-7 page paper.