Applied Machine Learning for Economists

Many problems in economics and the social sciences are prediction problems: identifying individuals at risk of unemployment, forecasting election outcomes, or predicting policy take-up. Methods from machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionized how prediction algorithms are designed and implemented.

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This course introduces students to modern ML/AI methods with a strong emphasis on intuition, practical use, and critical evaluation, rather than mathematical derivations. Students will learn how to frame prediction problems, choose appropriate models, evaluate predictive performance, and interpret results. Advanced methods such as deep learning are introduced conceptually, focusing on when and why they are used rather than on technical implementation.

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