Tools for Macroeconomists – Advanced Tools

About

ADVANCED TOOLS
This course teaches state-of-the-art methods for solving and analyzing advanced macro-economic models. Participants will not only write their own code, but also learn how to resolve problems that researchers may run into when using these advanced methods.

Topics include:

models with heterogeneous agents
continuous time models
models with occassionally binding constraints

Course leader

Petr Sedlacek,

Course aim

MORNING
Each morning, a 3 hour lecture will introduce participants to the topic of the day. The focus is not on a single technique, but on state-of-the-art alternatives understanding when their use is appropriate. The key aim is to understand the techniques, not just being able to run programs and generate output.

AFTERNOON
Every afternoon, participants will implement the techniques discussed in lectures. Carefully designed assignments are solved in groups with the help of the instructor and teaching assistants. This is a crucial part of the course as it forces participants to truly understand the inner workings of the computational methods.

ASSIGNMENTS
The assignments are based on pre-prepared Matlab code which includes the structure necessary for solving the assignment. However, the code leaves out the key computing steps. This way students do not waste effort on setting up the computer code, while at the same time being forced to put together the key elements necessary for implementing the computational method.

At the end of the course, answers to all assignments are made available. Therefore, participants walk away with a portfolio of Matlab codes implementing all the discussed computational techniques.

Fee info