ECON 112 UCSD Unemployment and Inflation Rate in Belgium Data Analysis


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Econ 112: Macroeconomic Data Analysis
Writing Assignment 1
Assignment Main Task
To write a concise report explaining why and how you applied the Box-Jenkins methodology to two selected
data sets. Explain what choices you made, and why, in applying the model to the data sets.
This assignment has two objectives. The first objective is to have you practice how to decide what is essential
and what it is not essential when you have to choose what numbers and figures to report out of your statistical
analysis. The second objective is to practice how to best express in writing the information that you recognize
in the numerical results and figures that you choose to report.
Text of Assignment
Suppose you are a junior research analysis at the International Monetary Fund, and you are part of a team of
economists that study the country you have been assigned in class. You receive the following email from your
team leader:
Dear your name, at our next team meeting we will be discussing the effects of fiscal and monetary policies
on the unemployment rate and the inflation rate of our assigned country. It would be useful for us to have
a written report on the statistical dynamic models that best describe those two data series. Because of your
expertise with time series, I would like to ask you to prepare the report by February 1. Thank you.
Your report should include of all the following elements.
1. Introduction.
State what you aim to achieve in the report and summarize your findings.
2. Data.
Outline what data you are using, present summary statistics and plot data that you think are important.
3. Preferred Specification.
Summarize the Box-Jenkins methodology steps outlined in class. Articulate how you identified your preferred
specifications for the Unemployment Rate and Inflation. Only results from your preferred specifications should
be included. Use well-organized tables to report estimates and figures to show important patterns in your
data (ACF, PACF). Edit tables and figures so that they are easy to read (no raw R output should ever be
4. Limitations.
Describe the limitations of your preferred specification. Tell the reader what the potential weaknesses are for
your approach. For example, is your choice robust to making alternative statistical choices in your Box-Jenkins
analysis (such as sample length, information criteria, etc.)? In light of the robustness considerations, are there
alternative specifications that should be considered as close substitutes to the one you proposed?
5. Future Work.
Suggest possible directions for further analysis.
Note: The body of the report should be at least 1,250 words, excluding tables and figures.
Box-Jenkins Procedure to Estimate ARMA Models
1. Identifification Stage
 analyze plot of raw data
 analyze ACF and PACF
 identify plausible models
2. Estimation Stage
 estimate plausible models
 evaluate AIC, BIC
 take a look at p-value of coefficients
 select a parsimonious model that has good fit
3. Diagnostic Checking
 plot residuals of chosen model
 look for periods of poor fit
 analyze standardized residuals, ?t/??, they should look Gaussian

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Explanation & Answer:
1250 Words


Inflation Rate in Belgium

Data Analysis
