Econometrics (Master)
Universität Basel, Fall 2026
Master
Prof. Dr. Kurt Schmidheiny
General Information:
- Syllabus and Rooms
- Slides Introduction: 4up, 1up
Textbook:
- Stock, James H. and Mark W. Watson (2020), Introduction to Econometrics, 4th Global ed. Pearson.
- Additional textbooks are discussed during the lecture
Software:
We will use R with RStudio for applications in class and in the problem sets:
- R is a free open source software
- You can download R here
- You can download RStudio here
- A short guide to R: 2up, 1up
Alternatively, you can use Stata:
- There are 20 available computers with STATA in the WWZ computer pool
- There are computers with STATA in other pools of the university
- You can purchase a licence for 6 months at a price of 48 USD
- A short guide to Stata: 2up, 1up
Lecture Notes and Slides:
| Topic | Matrix-free | Matrices | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Causal Effects | 4up | 1up | ||||
| Matrix Algebra | 2up | 1up | ||||
| Probability Theory | 2up | 1up | 2up | 1up | ||
| Linear Regression | 2up | 1up | 2up | 1up | ||
| Testing | 2up | 1up | 2up | 1up | ||
| Functional Form | 2up | 1up | 2up | 1up | ||
| Heteroskedasticity | ||||||
| Clustering | ||||||
| Asymptotic Theory | 4up | 1up | 4up | 1up | ||
| Instrumental Var. | ||||||
| Panel Data | ||||||
| Maximum Likelihood | ||||||
| Binary Response | ||||||
Problem Sets:
- Problem Set 1: 2up, 1up. Discussed 24 September 2026, 11:05-11:50.
News article: "Heavy ChatGPT use linked to intellectual laziness and social isolation" in PsyPost from 2 September 2026.
Scientific article: Zeineb Farhat (2026), "When AI Thinks for Us: Unveiling the Cognitive and Social Toll of ChatGPT Over-Reliance", Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23 April 2026.
Online test: OLAT UZH (login as affiliated with University of Basel using your Switch edu-ID). Due 24 September 2026, 10:00. - Problem Set 2: 2up, 1up. Discussed 8 October 2026, 11:05-11:50.
Data: csv (codebook). Output: R, Stata.
Online test: OLAT UZH (login as affiliated with University of Basel using your Switch edu-ID). Due 8 October 2026, 10:00. - Problem Set 3: 2up, 1up. Discussed 19 October 2026, 10:15-11:50 (90').
Output: R, Stata.
Online test: OLAT UZH (login as affiliated with University of Basel using your Switch edu-ID). Due 19 October 2026, 10:00.
Causal Effects and the Logic of Randomized Experiments:
- Writing Group for the Women's Health Initiative Investigators (2002), Risks and Benefits of Estrogen Plus Progestin in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: Principal Results From the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association, 288:321-333.
- Jeremy D. Finn and Charles M. Achilles (1990), Answers and Questions About Class Size: A Statewide Experiment, American Educational Research Journal, 27, 557-577.
- Alan B. Krueger (1999), Experimental Estimates of Education Production Functions, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 114 (2), 497-532.
- The Wyeth ghostwriting case: New York Times, Aug 4, 2009 , PLOS Medicine, Sep 7, 2010, PLOS Ghostwriting Collection.