NA446A · Örebro University · Autumn 2026
From raw data to results you can trust
The Python part of Programming and Data Management for Economics and Finance. Four sessions on the work behind every empirical result: getting data, checking it, combining it, and producing a table that anyone can rebuild from the raw files.
Every number in this course comes from code that someone else can rerun. That is the standard in economics journals, and it is the standard here.
Schedule
| Date | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 19 Oct · 10:15 · P258 | 1. Projects and first steps. Open a project, organise it so others can rerun it, load and inspect data | slides · lab · data |
| Tue 20 Oct · 10:15 · P258 | 2. Working with data. Check every variable, fix types and missing values, create and aggregate | slides · lab · exercise |
| Tue 27 Oct · 10:15 · P258 | 3. Combining data. Merge with checks, append, reshape, build a register-style panel | slides · lab · data · exercise |
| Thu 29 Oct · 10:15 · P258 | 4. Getting data and scaling up. Fetch open data, loop over files, one script that runs everything | posted before class |
| Thu 5 Nov · 10:15 · P258 | Recap and questions, both parts, with Kamil Kladívko | |
| Sat 7 Nov · 14:15 | Exam (both parts), digital, in an exam hall | sample exam |
Part I (MATLAB, Kamil Kladívko) starts on 6 October; its schedule is on Blackboard and Kronox. All Python sessions are 10:15–12:00 in P258.
How each session works
Before · a short reading, named on the Sessions page, so the session can build on it.
In class · real code with its real output, a question every 15 minutes, then a lab with help in the room.
After · one exercise, easy to hard, with a self-check script. Solutions here after three days.
Test yourself · a few questions without AI, the way the exam works.
Before the first session
- Do the Setup (20 minutes).
- Read Kevin Bryan’s tech stack memo, the parts named on the Readings page (20 minutes).
What you need
Your own laptop (Mac or Windows) with the course setup done before the first Python session: Setup. No earlier Python is needed; Part I gives you the programming basics, and session 1 starts with a short bridge from Stata to Python.
Course documents
- Course description (Örebro University)
- Syllabus, revision 2, valid from autumn 2026
- Course guide for both parts (PDF, 3 pages): classes, setup, exam and grading for this course, updated when something changes
- Study guide (Örebro University): general information for all students on studying, exams, IT and support
- Readings for each session
Questions
Email magnus.lodefalk@oru.se with NA446A in the subject line.