Economics is not just about models and theory. Our economic models are only as valuable as they are able to describe the real world. At its core, Economics wants to understand—and improve—the real world! However, oftentimes students don’t get to see empirical work by economists or don’t get the opportunity to do their own economic research until they get to higher-level elective courses (which could be in their junior year!).

The goals of this Data Project are as follows:

1. Give you, the student, an opportunity to explore a topic you are interested in
2. Expose you to the kind of work that economists do
3. Give you skills to engage with the news, economic research, and data