Centre of Excellence in Economics and Data Science
The Centre of Excellence in Economics and Data Science (CEEDS) is part of the Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods (DEMM). The CEEDS is a multi-purpose technology infrastructure, suitable for the empirical analysis of different research lines of the Department.
CEEDS deems it essential to avail of adequate infrastructures that allow the efficient combination of currently used data, mainly arising from sample surveys, with new data, which are now growing exponentially. Until now, DEMM scientists have mainly contributed to economic literature using data samples, often rectangular in shape (with N observations, and number of variables for observations equal to K << N), with a relatively simple structure as regards observations, and limited dependency among variables. These data are analysed using traditional econometric techniques, focusing on one or more coefficients of interest, which often represent the causal effect of a particular policy. However, empirical research in economics is experiencing an explosion in the availability of new data, which present new features and pose unprecedented demands. This data revolution, combined with the development of innovative techniques for their analysis, has inevitably led to further developments and research in economics; accordingly, CEEDS seeks to invest a significant part of the funds recently awarded by the Italian government through the competitive bid “Dipartimenti di Eccellenza” (http://www.miur.gov.it/dipartimenti-di-eccellenza) to properly respond to emerging challenges.
