Bachelor 2020/2021

Economic and Social Statistics

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Compulsory course (Sociology and Social Informatics)

Area of studies: Sociology

Delivered by: Department of Sociology

Where: Saint-Petersburg School of Social Sciences

When: 4 year, 3 module

Mode of studies: offline

Instructors: Anna Nemirovskaya, Nadezhda Sokolova

Language: English

ECTS credits: 4

Contact hours: 24

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The objectives of mastering the discipline "Economic and Social Statistics" is to prepare students for independent information-analytical, research, production, applied and project activities using the methodology, methods, sources and data of national and international government statistics.

Learning Objectives

• prepare for analytical research using the data of national and international government statistics

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Understand the terminological apparatus of the theory of statistics, methods of collecting and analyzing statistical information
• Distinguish between statistical and sociological approaches to data collection and processing
• Understand the specifics of the methodology of studying social phenomena by the methods of state statistics and organization of work of statistical bodies in the Russian Federation, CIS countries, the European Union, the USA and international organizations (UN, World Bank, OECD, etc.).
• Be able to draw up a plan for the use of statistical information in a sociological study and to process the primary and secondary data provided by statistical bodies
• Interpret statistical data using the explanatory capabilities of sociological and economic theory, as well as taking into consideration socio-economic, historical and socio-cultural context
• Obtain the skills of independent search and analysis of statistical information
• Acquire experience in processing social, demographic, economic and other relevant empirical information involving a wide range of statistical sources based on the use of modern information technologies
• Receive practical training of the skill of analyzing, designing and presenting the results of statistical and sociological research, using national and international statistics in practical tasks, writing analytical notes on a wide range of topics and substantiating research problems with the involvement of statistical information

Course Contents

• The research questions and methods of statistics. State statistics in Russia and abroad. Statistical databases. The usage of statistics in the analytical notes and reports.
• Statistical tables. Statistical groupings and classifications. Statistical indicators. Average values and indicators of variation. Time series and index analysis.
• Statistical observation. Census.
• Population statistics. The structure of families and households.
• Statistical methods for studying the standard of living of the population. Statistics of income, financial differentiation, and poverty.
• Labor and employment statistics. Interregional and international labor migration.
• Statistics of education, culture, governance, public and political spheres.
• International indices in the study of social, economic and political processes. Statistical indicators of economic security of the country and region.
• National wealth and the system of national accounts.
• Statistics of prices and inflation. Consumption, economic sentiment, and consumer expectations.

Assessment Elements

• Home assignment
  Homework assignment and exam essay are submitted for verification through the LMS, according to the announced dates. If there is valid excuse for the missed Home assignment or Exam essay the student has the right to submit it again, within one week after the expiration of the document (confirming the valid excuse).
• Seminar Participation
  The weight of each seminar participation is 0,5 score, in case of active participation in discussion student has 1 score. Maximum grade for 10 seminars is 10. A grade for a seminar missed for a valid excuse can be given for 500 words essay on the topic of the seminar, based on an analysis of the literature for this seminar. Essay schould be submitted no later than one week before the end of the module. Essays are sent to the teacher by corporate mail, confirming the reason for missing the seminar.
• Exam essay
  Homework assignment and exam essay are submitted for verification through the LMS, according to the announced dates. If there is valid excuse for the missed Home assignment or Exam essay the student has the right to submit it again, within one week after the expiration of the document (confirming the valid excuse).

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (3 module)
  0.4 * Exam essay + 0.2 * Home assignment + 0.4 * Seminar Participation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Maggino, F. (2017). Complexity in Society: From Indicators Construction to Their Synthesis. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1565337

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Alho, J., & Spencer, B. D. (2005). Statistical Demography and Forecasting. New York: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=163172
• Dobrin, A. (2016). Homicide Data Sources : An Interdisciplinary Overview for Researchers. Cham: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1048196
• Winkler, O. W. (2009). Interpreting Economic and Social Data : A Foundation of Descriptive Statistics. Dordrecht: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=292006