The course is aimed at introducing statistical reasoning, both in exploratory and inferential settings.
In particular the students will learn tools for organizing and summarizing statistical data (descriptive statistics) and tools devoted to drawing conclusions from data allowing for uncertainty (probability and inference).The student will be able to build, read and interpret statistical data summaries, particularly related to economics. Furthermore, he will be able to deal with simple problems in probability and statistical inference.

Mathematics

Exploratory data analysis
– Data, populations, variables, data sources
– Graphic representations and frequency tables
– Summaries of a statistical distribution: position, variability, shape
– Relationships between variables: contingency tables and association measures, group comparisons, linear regression.

Probability
- Elementary probability, Bayes' theorem
- Random variables, definition, probability distributions, (Binomial, Poisson, Gaussian)


Statistical inference
– Sample and population, sampling variability
– the concept of statistical inference
– interval estimate for a mean and a proportion
– hypotheses testing for a mean and a proportion
– Inference for relationship between variables: tests of independence, regression.
- Inference for the linear regression model

Cicchitelli G., D’Urso P., Minozzo M. “Statistica: principi e metodi”, Edizioni Pearson, 2017

Pauli F., Torelli N., Trevisani M. “Statistica: esercizi ed esempi”, Edizioni Pearson Italia, 2008

Lecture’s slides (available on moodle)

--- Other texts

- Diamond I., Jefferies J. “Introduzione alla statistica per le scienze sociali”, McGraw-Hill
- Diez, Barr, Cetinkaya-Rundel. “OpenIntro Statistics” (in english, downloadable from http://www.openintro.org/stat/textbook.php)

Frontal lectues. In addition to the hours of frontal teaching carried out by the course holders, the course also includes 20 additional hours of integrative teaching activities, consisting of exercises and applications of the concepts covered in class.

Written exam with theoretical questions and practical exercises.