OVERVIEW

The teaching of Economic and Social Statistics aims to guide students towards a deep understanding and knowledge of some of the most important topics in social sciences, particularly socio-economic phenomena (wealth and well-being, inflation, unemployment, population health, gender equality, demographic change) and their measurement (sample surveys, questionnaires, statistical indicators).

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The primary objective of the teaching is to provide the necessary elements to understand the complex system of production and dissemination of official and unofficial statistics on socio-demographic phenomena, also providing the fundamental tools for a critical analysis of the data used to describe socio-economic and demographic phenomena.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

In the first part of the course, official statistical sources and the portals where statistical data of interest for social and economic sciences are published are described. Students are thus able to access official data directly from the portals of the producing statistical agencies and to evaluate the quality of the statistical data available online. Additionally, the different methods of statistical survey are presented, with particular attention to the difference between statistical and administrative data, and between total and sample surveys. The phases of a statistical survey are also covered, with in-depth discussion on the design of sample surveys, the drafting of questionnaires, and the conduct of interviews. Special emphasis is placed on the construction of statistical indicators widely used by national statistical offices to describe socio-economic phenomena. The second part of the course focuses on some fundamental topics for the degree programs for which this course is designed: concerning the measurement of economic phenomena, it focuses on the measurement of wealth (GDP), unemployment, and inflation; concerning the measurement of social phenomena, it addresses the measurement of well-being, gender inequality, population health, and ISTAT’s multipurpose social surveys system. The course concludes with some basic elements of demographic analysis, essential for assessing the impact of demographic change on the socio-economic system.

• Knowledge and Understanding: Students acquire adequate knowledge of the nature and principles of measuring the most important economic and social phenomena of interest (wealth, well-being, inflation, unemployment, demographic changes, etc.) for public decision-makers. This knowledge is framed within the national and international context of surveys conducted by official statistical production bodies, with particular attention to the drafting and administration of questionnaires and sampling methods. Students are also aware of the logic behind the construction of the main internationally used indicators to measure these phenomena, the current trends in their use, and their evolution to meet new knowledge needs.
• Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding: Students are able to find the necessary data to understand economic, social, and demographic phenomena and to replicate the indices studied during the course on new data or to construct new ones useful for their knowledge purposes, including a historical perspective and international comparison.
• Autonomy of Judgment: Students can assess the quality of the data available online, particularly understanding whether their collection and analysis meet the quality criteria typical of official statistics. Similarly, having understood the fundamentals of constructing statistical indicators, they can evaluate the adequacy and robustness of a summary indicator of a social phenomenon in its calculation methodology.
• Communication Skills: Students acquire the fundamental statistical lexicon to communicate clearly and unambiguously with both specialist and non-specialist interlocutors. In particular, they learn to interpret operationally press releases, data tables, and graphic representations typical of economic, social, and demographic sciences, especially when produced by official statistical agencies.
• Learning Ability: Having detailed knowledge of numerous official surveys, students can evaluate the quality of the data they will use during their studies and professional careers.

Knowledge:

• Sources and characteristics of data for social and economic research;
• The national, European, and international systems for coordinating official statistics;
• The phases of the statistical survey;
• Knowledge of methods for constructing economic and social indicators;
• Definition and properties of statistical indicators with particular regard to wealth and well-being, poverty and deprivation, the labor market, and demographic change;
• Basics of demography;
• Labor market statistics: definitions and survey methods. The main economic and territorial statistics (with qualified contributions from Bank of Italy personnel).

Skills:

• Ability to find data and statistical reports useful for constructing the socio-economic reference framework;
• Finding data useful for understanding social change and interpreting them (also) for organizational improvement purposes;
• Designing and conducting complex sample surveys: defining the reference population, research design, sampling, drafting and administering the questionnaire - constructing and interpreting statistical indicators;
• Ability to read and interpret a statistical report.

PREREQUISITES

None.

TEACHING METHODS

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<p><strong>Teaching Methods</strong></p>

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<p>Lectures with in-class exercises.</p>

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<p><strong>Available on Aulaweb</strong></p>

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<p>Yes&nbsp;&nbsp; X&nbsp; No ☐</p>

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<p>For non-attending students, there are no changes to the program or assessment methods. However, these students are encouraged to contact their reference professor.</p>

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1. Official, National, and International Statistical Sources

• Main statistical sources;
• Statistical data and administrative data;
• The National Statistical System and the National Statistical Program;
• Data quality;
• Census and sample studies;
• Drafting and administering a questionnaire;
• Overview of the main probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling methods.

2. Indicator Systems and Composite Indicators

• Problem definition;
• Model definition;
• Aggregative and non-aggregative approaches.

3. Selected Topics in Economic and Social Statistics

• Measuring a country's wealth and well-being:
  • GDP: economic fundamentals, definition, calculation methods;
  • Limitations of GDP as a tool for measuring collective well-being;
  • Beyond GDP: capabilities and functions; the Human Development Index, the Genuine Progress Indicator, and Istat's Equitable and Sustainable Well-Being Index.
• Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
  • History of Sustainable Development;
  • The Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Labor market statistics:
  • Statistical sources for labor market data;
  • Continuous labor force survey;
  • Definitions, magnitudes, and rates in the labor market.
• Measuring inflation:
  • Money and inflation;
  • Economic theories on inflation;
  • Brief history of inflation measures;
  • Measuring inflation in Italy: NIC, FOI, and IPCA; the basket of goods for measuring inflation; the price survey system.
• Poverty and deprivation:
  • Different approaches to studying poverty and deprivation; absolute and relative poverty in Italy.
• Measuring gender equality:
  • Brief overview of gender studies;
  • Main indicators for measuring gender equality: the Gender Equality Index, the Global Gender Gap Report, and the Gender Development Index.
• The ISTAT multipurpose social survey system.

4. Elements of Demography for Understanding Economic and Social Dynamics

1. Introduction to demography:
   • Objectives and definitions
2. Time, age, and generations:
   • Individuals and their life histories;
   • Time and duration. The Lexis diagram;
   • Generation histories and population status;
   • Generations and contemporaries. Longitudinal and cross-sectional observation;
   • Analysis tools: events, rates and probabilities, intensity and timing.
3. Renewal processes: the extinction of generations
   • Mortality and survival;
   • The life table;
   • Longevity measures.
4. Renewal processes: the formation of new generations:
   • Factors of human reproduction;
   • Fertility measures of generations. Intensity, timing, and composition of descendants;
   • Current fertility measures. Analysis by contemporaries and by generations;
   • Reproductivity and replacement level.
5. Population size and structure:
   • Age and gender composition: the age pyramid;
   • Demographic structure indices.
6. Demographic trends and long-term prospects:
   • Population status and changes;
   • The demographic balance and its components;
   • Population changes and their rates;
   • Projections and forecasts.
7. The demographic transition:
   • The Neolithic revolution and the ancient demographic regime;
   • Phases of the demographic transition;
   • Health transition;
   • Reproductive transition;
   • Transition to what?

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The teaching is in Italian. International/Erasmus students should contact the teacher for the recommended reading list in english.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ENRICO DI BELLA (President)

LUCA GANDULLIA

ENRICO IVALDI

CORRADO LAGAZIO

PIETRO STANISLAO PARISI

LUCA PERSICO

LESSONS

LESSONS START

1st semester

Class schedule

STATISTICS FOR ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The assessment consists of a written exam followed by an oral interview.

The written exam includes 5 open-ended theoretical questions randomly selected from the list published on Aulaweb, and 2 exercises on the course topics (GDP calculation and demography exercises based on the exercises published on Aulaweb). Students who pass the written exam will proceed to the oral exam, which will cover one chapter of their choice from the demography book and one of the supplementary readings (student's choice) listed in the course syllabus and on Aulaweb. The oral exam can result in an adjustment (up or down) of the written exam grade by up to 3 points.

International/Erasmus students can request to take the exam orally.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written exam will assess the student's acquired knowledge in the theoretical part and the skills developed in the practical part (exercises) regarding the application of techniques covered in the course. Clarity of exposition and appropriate use of language will be particularly important in the evaluation of the theoretical part. For the practical part, the correct selection and application of the necessary statistical tools, as well as the commentary and interpretation of the results obtained, will be assessed.

The oral exam will evaluate the student's ability to independently read and interpret texts on social statistics and demography. Specifically, the assessment of the oral part will focus on the student's ability to clearly present the research topic described in the chosen volume, their critical understanding of the techniques and methods used, and the quality of the statistical sources utilized.

Exam schedule