- PROGRAMS
- The Data behind Economic Policy: A practical introduction to modern macroeconomics
The Data behind Economic Policy: A practical introduction to modern macroeconomics
This course provides a practical and engaging introduction to modern macroeconomic policy for participants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, with no prior training in economics required. It is designed for those who want to understand how major economic decisions are shaped in practice and how macroeconomic developments affect institutions, markets, firms, and public policy. Combining conceptual clarity with real-world relevance, the course helps participants build the confidence to engage with economic policy issues in an informed and structured way.
The course is organized in two complementary parts. The first part introduces the fundamental concepts of macroeconomics and macroeconomic policy through the lens of contemporary policy challenges. Participants will become familiar with the language, logic, and analytical perspective used by central banks, ministries of finance, fiscal councils, the OECD, tax authorities, and regulatory institutions, and will learn how to approach policy reports, economic assessments, and institutional publications with greater understanding. The second part focuses on macroeconomic data, diagnostics, and applied analytics. Participants will develop practical skills in exploring, interpreting, and communicating economic information using modern numerical and analytical tools, including methods that are increasingly accessible through recent advances in AI.
Key topics include inflation and prices, public debt, taxation, macro-financial crises, and tax fraud. The course is especially relevant for those seeking to strengthen their ability to interpret the economic environment, connect data with policy questions, and apply analytical thinking in professional settings such as government, international institutions, banking, consulting, and business.
- Understand and interpret key macroeconomic indicators, economic developments, and policy reports with greater confidence and critical thinking.
- Recognize the role and functioning of institutions such as central banks, tax authorities, and economic policy organizations in shaping the economic environment.
- Use modern data analysis tools to approach and present economic information in a practical and accessible way, without requiring a technical background.
- Connect macroeconomic developments with real-world issues in public policy, business environments, and everyday economic life.
- Develop a more structured and meaningful understanding of how economic decisions are made at both national and international levels. Evaluate economic policies by using recently developed analytical methods.
Includes training hours with classroom, laboratory, or remote (via live streaming) instruction along with any breaks.
Includes training hours (indicative) using an asynchronous distance learning (eLearning) platform.
Additional hours of work are included (indicative) and may include individual study, writing assignments, participation in field visits, participation in exams, etc.
The total hours include hours of synchronous and asynchronous training, as well as additional hours of employment.
- Students from a wide range of disciplines — including economics, law, mathematics, physics, media, management, literature, and informatics — who wish to understand how modern macroeconomic policy is shaped, how economic evidence and analytics support decision-making, and who aspire to a national or international career in economic policy institutions.
- Practitioners working in private and investment banks, private firms, as well as lawyers and entrepreneurs who want to better understand the economic environment in which they operate and enhance their ability to interpret macroeconomic developments, data, and policy analysis.
- Government officials and employees of international institutions seeking a clearer, more practical understanding of macroeconomic policy, with an emphasis on the use of data analytics and empirical tools in policy formulation and evaluation.
- Journalists, policy communicators, and public opinion leaders who wish to better understand economic policy and strengthen their ability to communicate macroeconomic developments, data, and policy decisions to the public in a clear and informed way.
LIVE STREAMING: 1000€
