Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems

4 Credits

Shows how "big data" can be used to understand and address some of the most important social and economic problems of our time. The course will give students an introduction to frontier research and policy applications in economics and social science in a less-technical manner. Topics include equality of opportunity, education, racial disparities, innovation and entrepreneurship, health care, climate change, criminal justice, and tax policy. In the context of these topics, the course will also provide an introduction to basic methods in data science, including regression, causal inference, and machine learning.