Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems

This course, taught by CPI research group leader Raj Chetty, shows how "big data" can be used to understand and solve some of the most important social and economic problems of our time. The course has three principal objectives:

1) Introduce students to social science research on key social and economic issues in the United States

2) Teach students how to understand and analyze quantitative data

3) Show students to how practitioners use “big data” to analyze social problems

Course Materials

Course Syllabus

Introduction and the Geography of Upward Mobility
[Slides] [Video]

Policies to Improve Upward Mobility
[Slides] [Video]

Opportunity, Innovation, and Economic Growth
[Slides] [Video]

Higher Education
[Slides] [Video]

Primary Education
[Slides] [Video]

Do Charter Schools Work?
[Slides] [Video]

Improving Health Outcomes
[Slides] [Video]

The Economics of Health Care and Insurance
[Slides] [Video]

Social Costs of Climate Change and Pollution
[Slides] [Video]

Policies to Mitigate Climate Change
[Slides] [Video]

Criminal Justice and Discrimination
[Slides] [Video]