Classes and Teaching
Yale University
-
This course examines the fundamental forces that determine election outcomes in the United States. Students will practice election forecasting and analysis using real election results and historical data, paired with reading political science research on the topic as well as assignments based on following election developments (e.g., watching the debates). Students will make their own election forecasts and we will assess the accuracy of their election models in predicting the outcome of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election. Topics include but are not limited to: presidential approval, the economy, incumbency and candidate quality, campaign and media effects, case studies of key presidential elections, and election regulations. Throughout the course we will use quantitative problem sets and in-class exercises to help us understand the fundamental dynamics in the ongoing 2024 election campaign, which can help to inform student election forecasts and their understanding of what matters in elections.
-
This course examines how elections are regulated in the United States, with a focus on contemporary debates over voting rights and election administration and their effects on electoral politics. From both the legal and political science perspectives, we will undertake theoretical and quantitative analyses of the impact of election law on political representation, election outcomes, and public policy. Topics include: historical and legal basis of voting rights and election law, redistricting and gerrymandering, racial representation, voter ID laws and voter fraud, election administration and voting methods (vote-by-mail, early voting, etc.), and the role of institutions (congress, president, the courts) in the establishment of voting rights.
-
This seminar is focused on the use of data analytics to help resolve legal disputes in redistricting and other voting rights or election law litigation in the United States. Students will use real-world voter files, granular election data, and modern statistical methods to analyze the partisan and racial biases of legislative (re)districting maps, as well as the impact of election regulations on voter turnout and election outcomes. Students will write an “expert report” on a legislative districting scheme for a state of their choice, using the concepts and techniques learned in class.
-
A graduate-level course, open to undergraduates, designed to introduce students to research on American political institutions. We examine different explanations for and models of the sources of institutions, discuss their internal organization and governance, and consider the effects of institutions on representation, public policy, and political accountability. Topics include Congressional organization, electoral institutions and regulations, political parties, interest groups, the Presidency, the courts, bureaucratic institutions, inter-branch relations, federalism, and the media. Course work includes reading, writing assignments, and active participation in class.
Harvard University
-
Economists who study subjective well-being use the methodological and empirical tools of economics to understand how material welfare along with other life factors affect measures of people's self-reported happiness. How should we measure an individual's subjective level of happiness, and how should we incorporate a variety of these self-reported measures into common economic models of utility maximization and policy evaluation? In this course, we will explore the complicated relationships between traditional economic indicators and measures of subjective well-being in order to more fully understand, as economists, what makes people happy. Some key questions we will explore are: How do/should we measure happiness? Can money buy happiness? What does the research on psychological phenomena and behavioral quirks imply for our happiness goals as economists? What is the relationship between happiness and social capital - like family, friends, and our broader civic environments? How does someone's subjective well-being affect their productivity (and other economic outcomes)? How do cultural factors and differences in politics affect measures of subjective well-being? What effects do physical and mental health have on our day-to-day experiences as well as our overall life satisfaction? The course draws heavily on research in psychology and behavioral economics, and will also introduce students to a wide variety of empirical data on subjective well-being.
-
Ec 10B continues the curriculum presented in Ec 10A. Starting with the descriptive and ethical frameworks of Ec 10A, Ec 10B moves from the study of microeconomics (individual decision-making and individual markets) to the study of macroeconomics (e.g., the growth of the overall economy, unemployment, and inflation). Ec 10B explains what economists do and do not understand about why per capita income varies so much across countries and what factors determine the rate of aggregate economic growth. Ec 10B also explains why the economy fluctuates, as illustrated by sharp changes in the rate of unemployment, the net rate of job creation, or the rate of overall economic growth. The course also explains how policy makers attempt to manage and dampen these fluctuations using both monetary policy (i.e., government influence over interest rates and government regulation of banks) and fiscal policy (e.g., government control of spending and taxation). We will also discuss how macroeconomic policies work in an international context, including the factors that affect exchange rates, trade deficits, international capital flows, and how these link economies around the world. Like Ec 10A, Ec 10B introduces students to economic models and discusses both how they are supported and how they are contradicted by available data.
-
Economists study human behavior using a combination of models and data. Ec 10a introduces students to economic models by using intuitive discussions, graphical analysis and, in some cases, a bit of algebra. The models study individual decision-making and markets, and range from classical approaches like supply and demand to more recent approaches that consider informational limitations and behavioral mistakes. We will also use data to understand the strengths and weaknesses of these models. The course discusses the role that ethics and values play in people’s choices and in policy discussions. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide students with a set of tools that will help them develop answers for themselves on how to make better choices and participate in debates on major public policy issues in a wide range of domains such as taxation, inequality, discrimination and the environment.