OVERVIEW

The course offers a selection of methods and techniques useful for identifying, summarizing, and communicating the information contained in statistical data for the interpretation of social phenomena. By combining theoretical lectures and practical exercises, students learn the principles of statistical investigation, the organization of collected data, their analysis, and the communication of the results obtained.

The course is structured in three parts: Statistics for the Social Sciences; Selected Topics in Economic and Social Statistics; Introduction to Demography.

The course is worth 6 ECTS credits for students enrolled in Scienze Internazionali e Diplomatiche, Economia e Commercio, and Media Comunicazione e Società, and 9 ECTS credits for students enrolled in Scienze dell'Amministrazione e della Politica. The differences in the exam programs are specified in the sections below.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide the fundamental tools for a data-driven interpretation of social and economic phenomena. The first part of the course is devoted to descriptive statistical methods; the second deepens the quantitative analysis of social phenomena through the use of official statistics data sources and tools; the third addresses specific topics such as gender inequality and methods for the analysis of population studies, with a focus on the main challenges of European demography.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The primary objective of the course is to provide a comprehensive overview of the process followed in a statistical survey: from defining the object of study, to its quantitative measurement, data analysis, and evaluation of results for policy-making purposes. This objective is achieved by alternating between two teaching phases: traditional lectures and practical exercises. Particular attention is given to the use of statistics as a communication tool for decision-makers.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding Students will acquire adequate knowledge of the fundamental elements of descriptive statistical analysis, as well as of the nature and measurement principles of the main economic and social phenomena of interest to public decision-makers (such as wealth, well-being, inflation, unemployment, demographic change, etc.).

Applying Knowledge and Understanding Students will be able to interpret basic statistical reports, produce their own, retrieve the data necessary to understand economic, social, and demographic phenomena, and replicate the analyses studied in the course on new data.

Making Judgements Students will be able to assess the quality of data available online, particularly in terms of whether their collection and analysis adhere to the quality standards of official statistics. Moreover, having understood the foundations of statistical indicator construction, they will be able to evaluate the adequacy and methodological robustness of summary indicators representing social phenomena.

Communication Skills Students will acquire fundamental statistical vocabulary, enabling them to communicate clearly and unambiguously with both specialist and non-specialist audiences. In particular, they will learn to interpret, from an operational perspective, press releases, data tables, and graphical representations commonly used in the economic, social, and demographic sciences, especially when produced by official statistical agencies.

Learning Skills By becoming familiar with numerous official surveys, students will be able to assess the quality of the data they will encounter during their academic studies and professional careers.

Knowledge Acquired

• Fundamental elements of descriptive and demographic statistical analysis
• Main official statistical sources and surveys
• Understanding of methods used to construct economic and social indicators

Skills Developed

• Ability to read, interpret, and autonomously produce a statistical report
• Ability to retrieve statistical data and reports to construct a relevant socio-economic framework
• Ability to carry out descriptive data analysis

TEACHING METHODS

All lectures will be delivered in person in Genoa at the Albergo dei Poveri campus. Recordings of all lectures will be made available via links published on Aulaweb.

In addition, students enrolled in MEDIA, COMUNICAZIONE E SOCIETÀ 11417 (L-20) – SAVONA will also have the option to attend the lectures synchronously via Microsoft Teams.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Part I – Statistics for the Social Sciences

Introduction

• Statistics: history and objectives
• Analysing a social phenomenon
• Data sources
• Datasets, statistical units, and variables
• Data analysis

Variable Representation: Tables and Graphs

• Unitary distribution, absolute and quantity frequencies
• Relative and percentage frequency distributions
• Cumulative distributions
• Aggregated distributions
• Graphical representations of distributions

Summarizing Distributions: Central Values

• Characteristic values
• Central values
• Mode
• Median
• Quantiles
• Means

Summarizing and Comparing Distributions: Measures of Inequality

• Inequality measures
• Indices of variability
• Dispersion indices for ordinal qualitative variables
• Variability for quantitative variables
• Concentration of a transferable variable
• Graphical representation of variability: the box-plot
• Standardization
• Measures of comparison

Analysis of the Relationship Between Two Variables

• Bivariate frequency distributions
• Analysis of relationships between two variables
• Measures of dependence
• Relationships between quantitative variables

Part II – Official Statistics for the Study of Socio-Economic Phenomena

Introduction to Official Statistics

• The National Statistical System and the National Statistical Programme
• Main statistical sources
• Data quality
• Statistical data and administrative data
• Census and sample surveys
• Introduction to statistical inference
• Overview of main sampling methods

Statistical Indices and Indicators

• definitions;
• the theoretical model;
• the construction of composite indices.

Selected Topics in Economic and Social Statistics

• Measuring the wealth and well-being of a population
• Inflation
• Labour market statistics
• Measures of poverty and deprivation

Part III – Gender Inequality and Introduction to Demographic Analysis

Gender Inequality

• Gender and sex
• Gender stereotypes
• Main (in)equality indicators: WEF Gender Gap Report, EIGE Gender Equality Index
• Gender-based violence

Introduction to Demography

• Objectives and definitions

Time, Age and Generations

• Individuals and their life histories
• Time and duration. The Lexis diagram
• Generational histories and population status
• Generations and contemporaries: longitudinal vs. cross-sectional observation
• Analytical tools: events, rates and probabilities, intensity and timing

Renewal Processes: The Extinction of Generations

• Mortality and survival
• The life table
• Measures of longevity

Renewal Processes: The Formation of New Generations

• Factors of human reproduction
• Cohort fertility measures: intensity, timing, offspring composition
• Period fertility measures: cross-sectional and cohort analysis
• Reproductivity and replacement level

Population Size and Structure

• Age and sex composition: the population pyramid
• Demographic structure indices

Demographic Situation and Long-Term Perspectives

• Population stock and variation
• Demographic balance and its components
• Population change and its pace
• Projections and forecasts

The Demographic Transition

• The Neolithic revolution and the pre-modern demographic regime
• Stages of the demographic transition
• Health transition
• Reproductive transition
• Transition towards what?

Exam Programme by Degree Programme

Students are required to take the exam on different parts of the syllabus depending on their degree programme:

• SCIENZE DELL'AMMINISTRAZIONE E DELLA POLITICA 11161 (L-16) – GENOVA (8/9/10 CFU) and 9 ECTS credits Erasmus Students:
  Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the syllabus, plus one chapter of choice from those listed in the "Textbooks/Bibliography" section.

• SCIENZE INTERNAZIONALI E DIPLOMATICHE 8768 (L-36) – GENOVA (6 CFU), MEDIA, COMUNICAZIONE E SOCIETÀ 11417 (L-20) – SAVONA (6 CFU) and 6 ECTS credits Erasmus Students:
  Parts 1 and 2 of the syllabus.

• ECONOMIA E COMMERCIO 8699 (L-33) – GENOVA (6 CFU):
  Parts 2 and 3 of the syllabus.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Required and Recommended Readings

For Part I of the syllabus:

• Amaturo E., Aragona B., Grassia M.G., Lauro C.N., and Marino M. (2021). Statistica per le scienze sociali, UTET (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7)

For Part II of the syllabus:

• Mazziotta M. e Pareto A. (2024). Statistica per gli indici compositi. Giappichelli Editore (Chapters 1-3).
• Additional materials will be provided via Aulaweb

For Part III of the syllabus (only for students with 9 CFU):

• Alaimo L.S., di Bella E., Maggino F., and Nanni G. (2019). Misurare l’uguaglianza di Genere, Genova University Press (https://gup.unige.it/node/297)
• De Rose A., Rosina A. (2026). Introduzione alla demografia 2a ed., Egea (Chapters 1-8). 
• Please check Aulaweb for any additional recommended readings suggested during the course

International students may contact the instructor to arrange alternative reference materials in English or another language.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ENRICO DI BELLA (President)

LUCA GANDULLIA

PIETRO STANISLAO PARISI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

2nd semester

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of a written open-book test, with an optional oral component. It includes six open-ended theoretical questions covering the entire course syllabus and three exercises based on Parts I and III of the curriculum.

For the written test, students may bring the textbook for Part I and a scientific or standard calculator. The use of tablets or other internet-enabled devices is not permitted.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will assess the knowledge acquired by the student in the theoretical section and the skills developed—specifically the ability to apply the techniques covered in the course—in the practical section (exercises). Clarity of exposition and precision of language will be particularly important in the evaluation of the theoretical section, while the practical section will focus on the ability to solve quantitative problems using the wide range of tools presented during the course, as well as the ability to comment on and interpret the results obtained. The exercises will essentially be problems requiring the selection of the most appropriate techniques, allowing students considerable freedom in deciding how to extract relevant information from one or more datasets.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with disabilities or other special educational needs are advised to contact both the Prof. Aristide Canepa (aristide.canepa@unige.it), and the lecturer at the beginning of the course, to agree on the teaching methods and examinations that, in compliance with the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning methods and provide suitable compensatory tools.

To request compensatory tools or dispensatory measures, students with disabilities or SLD must fill in the dedicated Webform available at https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa, at least 7 working days before the exam.
Students with SEN may instead send their request by e-mail to the lecturer, copying the Department Representative, Prof. Aristide Canepa (aristide.canepa@unige.it) and the Inclusion Office (inclusione.studenti@info.unige.it).

Requests from students will be assessed by the lecturer and may be approved or rejected.