Seminar: Advanced Empirical Macroeconomic Analysis (F)
Course content
The objective of the seminar is for students to work on independent research projects using any econometric method but with a focus on macroeconomics topics. Students choose their topic in consultation with the seminar organizer, prepare and submit a first outline of the project, prepare and submit a first draft of the complete paper, present own paper and provide critical evaluation and feedback to other student’s paper, and hand-in a revised and final version of the seminar paper for assessment.
The following list provides possible topics but students are free to choose other topics as well. The topics listed below can be analyzed using panel data regressions, Vector Autoregressive Models (VAR), cross-sectional methods or other empirical approaches.
- Are supply or demand shocks driving business cycles?
- What are the effects of monetary policy?
- What are the effects of fiscal policy?
- How do energy shocks propagate throughout the economy?
- Determinants of exchange rate pass-through?
- Is there a causal relation between financial development and economic growth in developing countries and/or emerging markets?
- What are the determinants of capital flows to developing countries?
- Is economic growth affected by uncertainty?
- Fiscal councils and government solvency.
- Evaluating the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure.
- Economic growth and inequality.
Inflation dynamics and output-inflation trade-offs.
The course is a part of the financial line, signified by (F)
The seminar is primarily for students at the MSc of Economics.
After completing the seminar the student is expected to be able to fulfill the learning outcome specified in the Master curriculum and to be able to
Knowledge:
- Define relevant research purpose and structure a seminar paper.
- Account for key economic theories/approaches relevant for the seminar paper.
- Account for alternative theories/approaches relevant for the seminar paper.
- Reflect and criticize existing theories/empirical work on the chosen topic.
Skills:
- Assess previous literature and chose, with a motivation, an approach to be used in the seminar paper.
- Analyze the chosen topic using reduced form and/or structural vector autoregressive analysis.
- Analyze own results and evaluate those results given the existing literature on the topic.
- Communicate own results in a scientific and professional manner.
- Present own work and discuss other seminar papers in a scientific and professional manner.
Competences:
- Plan a research project.
- Implement econometric methods used in the literature.
- Initiate, be responsible for and carry out an independent empirical analysis.
- Initiate collaborations
Supplemented by an overall intended learning outcome outlined in the programme-specific curriculum
At the seminar the student is trained independently to
- identify and clarify a problem,
- seek and select relevant literatur,
- write a academic paper,
- present and discuss own paper with the other students at the
seminar.
The aim of the presentations is, that the student uses the
presentation as an opportunity to practice oral skills and to
receive feedback. The presentations is not a part of the exam and
will not be assessed.
Mandatory activities in the seminar:
- Kick-off meeting
- Finding literatur and defining the project
- Writing process of the seminar paper
- Presentation of own project and paper
- Giving constructive feedback to another student´s paper
- Actively participating in discussions at the presentations and
other meetings.
There is no weekly teaching/lecturing and the student cannot expect
guidance from the teacher. If the teacher gives a few introduction
lectures or gives the opportunity for guidance, this as well as
other expectations are clarified at the kickoff meeting.
Process:
It is strongly recommended that you think about and search for a
topic before the semester begins, as there is only a few weeks from
the kick-off meeting to the submission of the project description/
agreement paper.
The seminar project paper must be uploaded in Absalon before the
presentations, as the opponents and the other seminar participants
have to read and comment on the paper. It is important that you
upload a paper that is so finalized as possible due to the fact
that the value of feedback and comments at the presentation is
strongly associated with the skill level of the seminar paper.
After the presentations, you can with a few corrections improve the
seminar paper by including the feedback and comments emerged during
the presentations. It is NOT intended that you rewrite or begin the
writing of the full project AFTER the presentation has taken
place.
Students must find relevant literature themselves but will get some initial papers to start with depending on the topic. Main background literature: Articles published in journals such as American Economic Review, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Monetary Economics, Journal of International Money and Finance, Journal of Development Economics, Energy Economics are useful when finding topics and background material.
It is recommended that the student has followed introductory and intermediate econometrics courses at least at the BSc level at the University of Copenhagen or has similar knowledge.
BSc in Economics or similar
Spring 2025
- Kick-off meeting: Week 6
- Deadline for submission of commitment paper / project
description: No later than 1 March
- Deadline for uploading a seminar assignment paper in the Digital
Exam portal: No later than one week before the presentations.
- Presentations: 1-23 May
- Submission date: 1 June at 10.00 AM - latest uploading of Seminar
paper to the Digital Exam portal for assessment.
All information regarding the seminar is communicated through
Absalon including venue. It is very important that you by yourself
log on to Absalon and read the information already when you are
registered at the seminar.
For enrolled students: More information about registration, schedule, rules etc. can be found at Master (UK) and Master (DK ).
More information about seminars is available at Seminars (UK) and Seminars (DK).
Read about the study programme and curricula at MSc in Economics
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Home assignment
- Type of assessment details
- Individual or in groups of up to 3.
A seminar paper of 15 standard pages for one person, 22.5 standard pages for 2 and 30 standard pages for 3 students.
See further exam information in the Masters Programme Curriculum. - Exam registration requirements
-
Attendance in all seminar activities as stated in the Master curriculum.
Reexam: Hand in and have approved a synopsis.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
Use of AI tools is permitted. You must explain how you have used the tools. When text is solely or mainly generated by an AI tool, the tool used must be quoted as a source.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
__
- Exam period
-
Exam information:
The seminar paper must be uploaded in Digital Exam.
Common submission date for all seminars: December 20 at 10:00 for the autumn semester and June 1 at 10:00 for the spring semester.
For enrolled students more information about examination, rules, aids etc. is available at the intranet for Master (UK) and Master (DK ).
- Re-exam
-
Reexam information:
Individual seminar paper of 15 standard pages. See further exam information in the Masters Programme Curriculum.
Deadline and more information is available at MSc in Economics - KUnet
More information about reexam etc. is available at Master(UK) and Master(DK).
Criteria for exam assessment
Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the seminar and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes in the Curriculum of the Master programme.
To receive the top grade, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material.
- Category
- Hours
- Project work
- 186
- Seminar
- 20
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- AØKK08429U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Spring And Autumn
- Schedulegroup
-
and venue:
Go to "Remarks"
Exam and re-sits: Go to "Exam" - Capacity
- One class of up to 20 students
- Studyboard
- Department of Economics, Study Council
Contracting department
- Department of Economics
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Course Coordinator
- Michael Bergman (15-54706a6f686c7335496c796e746875476c6a767535727c356b72)
Teacher
Michael Bergman (Michael.Bergman@econ.ku.dk)
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