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Social Science 222b
Winter Term 2005
Instructor: Prof. David Grether
Office 235 Baxter
Text: William H.Greene Econometric Analysis Fifth Edition

The class website contains two files named ec122SS222. These files contain identical information, differing only in format. One is a text file with tab separated data, and the other is an Excel worksheet, comma separated. They may give somewhat different results when imported into data programs depending upon how the importing program interprets blanks. The files are exactly as I received them except for two changes. I have converted all column headings to single word lower case names and deleted two columns that allow the user to identify some of the participants.

The data in the files give the complete records of a wholesale automobile auction held on November 18, 2004. The files when I receive them contain numerous errors that I have not corrected in the files you have. During the term you will be given several assignments that require you to analyze these data. For the purpose of these exercises you may work individually or in teams of four or fewer students. Team efforts will be graded the same as individual efforts with each member of the team receiving the same grade on the exercise.

There will also be applied papers to be discussed in class. Readings will be distributed in class prior to being assigned. It is expected that students will have read the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class.

  1. "DO ASSET PRICES REFLECT FUNDAMENTALS? FRESHLY SQUEEZED EVIDENCE FROM THE OJ MARKET" BY Jacob Boudoukh, Matthew Richardson, YuQing Shen and Robert F. Whitelaw, NBER Working Paper 9515, February 2003

  2. "Piracy and the Legitimate Demand for Recorded Musicā" by Kai-Lung and Ivan Png Contributions to Economic Analysis & Policy v2 Issue 1 2003

  3. "The Effects of Education on Crime: Evidence from Prison Inmates, Arrests, and Self-Reports" The American Economic Review 94, March 2004 pp155-189

Grades will be based on assignments, homework and a final exam. Grades will be assigned capriciously based upon the graduate student scale: A is Average, B is bad and C is Catastrophic.

 January  4 Introduction: Multivariate normal distribution
          6 Quadratic forms and review of Large Sample Theory
         11 Chapters 2, 3 & 4
         13 Chapters 2, 3 & 4
            Assignment 1 due
         18 Chapters 5 & 6
         20 Chapters 7 & 8
         25 Paper 1
         27 Chapter 10 Assignment 2 due
February  1 No class
          3 Chapter 11 Homework Set 1 due
          8 Chapter 14
         10 Chapter 15
         15 Paper 2
            Assignment 2 due
         17 Chapter17
         22 Chapter 21
         24 Chapter 22 Homework Set 2 due 
   March  1 Paper 3
          3 Extra topics
            Assignment 3 due
          8 Last day of classes- review
         16 Final Examination due