NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Multiple Regression and Introduction to Econometrics (PADM-GP 2902), Fall 2020
Econometrics remains the (empirical) lynchpin of modern economics, public policy, and other disciplines within the social sciences. Multivariate regression analysis is a generalization of the bivariate framework allowing us to explore important economic and social behavior in new ways. This course will train you in the fundamentals of multivariate regression analysis—closely examining how to estimate these models, interpreting the results, and navigating some of the well-known challenges to statistical (causal) inference.
Using one specific dataset throughout the course, you will learn how to employ some of these key econometric techniques through the use of powerful and commonly used statistical software (most notably Stata). In order to demonstrate proficiency in these skills, students (in partnership with classmates in their assigned group) will carry out a final empirical project based on datasets provided by the professor. This project remains critical to learning important course concepts, navigating the logistics involved in group collaboration, and how to think critically when evaluating empirical work.
Syllabus: PDF
Urban Research Seminar (PHD-GP 5912-5913), Fall 2018 – Spring 2019 (Seminar Coordinator)
This course, taught jointly by faculty members of the Gallatin School and the Wagner School, offers doctoral students an opportunity to learn about the latest theoretical and empirical research on critical urban issues. The course is not taught in a lecture format. Rather, the course focuses on discussions of academic works in progress by scholars from around the country and the world, working in such disciplines as sociology, history, planning, law, public health, public policy, and economics. Students will participate in an in-depth discussion of the paper with the author, together with other faculty and researchers from NYU and the New York area. Students must submit short papers critiquing a number of the works in progress, and have the opportunity to meet informally (usually over dinner) with a few authors to discuss the topic further. Students will also be assigned supplemental readings to ensure that they have the background necessary to understand upcoming papers. The course is designed to be multidisciplinary, and we invite doctoral students from across the university to enroll. We will give preference, however, to doctoral students selected to participate in the University’s Urban Doctoral Fellowship Program. If there is space, we will also consider allowing some advanced, research-focused masters’ students to enroll in the class.
Syllabus: PDF
Race, Crime, and Incarceration Policy in the United States (PADM-GP.4401), Spring 2020 and Fall 2018
Recent momentum behind criminal justice reform permitted new discussions concerning incarceration policy and punishment in the United States. This course examines the role of crime, incarceration policy, and institutions in driving contemporary discussions on criminal justice reform through the prism of race. The course will provide students with an opportunity to critically examine how race influences topics such as crime, policing, incarceration policy, and prisoner reentry.
Syllabus: PDF
Baruch College
Principles of Microeconomics (ECO 1001), Spring 2015
This is an introductory undergraduate course examining the fundamentals of microeconomics. In general, economics is the study of decision-making under scarcity and economists study this decision-making behavior in a variety of settings. How are wages that employers pay to workers determined? How do parents make decisions on the number of children to bear? Why do some people choose to not purchase health insurance? Economists offer insight on these issues and many others using several analytical tools taught in this course. While macroeconomics focuses on economic behavior in the aggregate (e.g., national output, interest rates, and inflation), microeconomics examines the behavior of individual economic units (e.g., consumers, workers, and firms). In this course we will cover topics of supply and demand, consumer behavior, producer behavior, the effects of government policy, and analyze several different market structures.