Applied Economics Projects

ECON 403
Closed
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Professor
(1)
3
Timeline
  • January 14, 2020
    Experience start
  • February 12, 2020
    Report outlines due
  • March 31, 2020
    Draft reports due
  • April 11, 2020
    Final reports due
  • April 14, 2020
    Presentation
  • April 25, 2020
    Reflection papers and feedback are due
  • May 2, 2020
    Experience end
Experience
2/1 project matches
Dates set by experience
Preferred companies
Anywhere
Any
Any industries
Categories
Data analysis Market research Law and policy Social sciences
Skills
economic analysis policy analysis data analysis writing and presentation skills research
Learner goals and capabilities

This course offers undergraduate Economics students the opportunity to take their education outside of the classroom and apply it to real-life challenges faced by companies, governments, and not-for-profit organizations. Over the course of one semester, students will

  • select a project from a set of challenges
  • work individually or in small teams to develop strategies to propose and evaluate solutions;
  • communicate with their client periodically to exchange information and present results
Learners
Undergraduate
Any level
20 learners
Project
75 hours per learner
Learners self-assign
Teams of 3
Expected outcomes and deliverables

Deliverables to the client can depend on the project and may include written reports and memos, Powerpoint slides, oral presentations (delivered via phone or video conference), and other forms of communications as requested by the client.

Project timeline
  • January 14, 2020
    Experience start
  • February 12, 2020
    Report outlines due
  • March 31, 2020
    Draft reports due
  • April 11, 2020
    Final reports due
  • April 14, 2020
    Presentation
  • April 25, 2020
    Reflection papers and feedback are due
  • May 2, 2020
    Experience end
Project Examples

While projects will vary in terms of both content and skill focus, they will be screened by the course instructor to ensure that they contain a meaningful and non-trivial application of economics, broadly defined (including fields closely related to economics, such as marketing or finance).

Examples of projects include:

  • Forecast economic trends, including macroeconomic, industry, or market trends
  • Evaluate economic policy
  • Analyze economic and market data
  • Analyze survey data
  • Perform research on specific markets or industries

Projects that contain a data analysis component are especially welcome. Please note that our students are economics majors and are not trained as statisticians, computer scientists, or data scientists. However, students have received introductory econometrics training using Stata and will certainly be familiar with Microsoft Excel.

Students may be required to sign non-disclosure agreements in order to be eligible to select certain projects.

Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:

Be available for a quick phone call with the instructor to initiate your relationship and confirm your scope is an appropriate fit for the course.

Provide a dedicated contact who is available to answer periodic emails or phone calls over the duration of the project to address students' questions.