A comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the mathematics that all economics students need to know Probability theory is the quantitative language used to handle uncertainty and is the foundation of modern statistics. Probability and Statistics for Economists provides graduate and PhD students with an essential introduction to mathematical probability and statistical theory, which are the basis of the methods used in econometrics. This incisive textbook teaches fundamental concepts, emphasizes modern, real-world applications, and gives students an intuitive understanding of the mathematics that every economist needs to know. Covers probability and statistics with mathematical rigor while emphasizing intuitive explanations that are accessible to economics students of all backgrounds Discusses random variables, parametric and multivariate distributions, sampling, the law of large numbers, central limit theory, maximum likelihood estimation, numerical optimization, hypothesis testing, and more Features hundreds of exercises that enable students to learn by doing Includes an in-depth appendix summarizing important mathematical results as well as a wealth of real-world examples Can serve as a core textbook for a first-semester PhD course in econometrics and as a companion book to Bruce E. Hansen’s Econometrics Also an invaluable reference for researchers and practitioners

An introduction to the use of probability models for analyzing risk and economic decisions, using spreadsheets to represent and simulate uncertainty. This textbook offers an introduction to the use of probability models for analyzing risks and economic decisions. It takes a learn-by-doing approach, teaching the student to use spreadsheets to represent and simulate uncertainty and to analyze the effect of such uncertainty on an economic decision. Students in applied business and economics can more easily grasp difficult analytical methods with Excel spreadsheets. The book covers the basic ideas of probability, how to simulate random variables, and how to compute conditional probabilities via Monte Carlo simulation. The first four chapters use a large collection of probability distributions to simulate a range of problems involving worker efficiency, market entry, oil exploration, repeated investment, and subjective belief elicitation. The book then covers correlation and multivariate normal random variables; conditional expectation; optimization of decision variables, with discussions of the strategic value of information, decision trees, game theory, and adverse selection; risk sharing and finance; dynamic models of growth; dynamic models of arrivals; and model risk. New material in this second edition includes two new chapters on additional dynamic models and model risk; new sections in every chapter; many new end-of-chapter exercises; and coverage of such topics as simulation model workflow, models of probabilistic electoral forecasting, and real options. The book comes equipped with Simtools, an open-source, free software used througout the book, which allows students to conduct Monte Carlo simulations seamlessly in Excel.

Probability, Statistics and Econometrics provides a concise, yet rigorous, treatment of the field that is suitable for graduate students studying econometrics, very advanced undergraduate students, and researchers seeking to extend their knowledge of the trinity of fields that use quantitative data in economic decision-making. The book covers much of the groundwork for probability and inference before proceeding to core topics in econometrics. Authored by one of the leading econometricians in the field, it is a unique and valuable addition to the current repertoire of econometrics textbooks and reference books. - Synthesizes three substantial areas of research, ensuring success in a subject matter than can be challenging to newcomers - Focused and modern coverage that provides relevant examples from economics and finance - Contains some modern frontier material, including bootstrap and lasso methods not treated in similar-level books - Collects the necessary material for first semester Economics PhD students into a single text

Probability and Statistics have been widely used in various fields of science, including economics. Like advanced calculus and linear algebra, probability and statistics are indispensable mathematical tools in economics. Statistical inference in economics, namely econometric analysis, plays a crucial methodological role in modern economics, particularly in empirical studies in economics.This textbook covers probability theory and statistical theory in a coherent framework that will be useful in graduate studies in economics, statistics and related fields. As a most important feature, this textbook emphasizes intuition, explanations and applications of probability and statistics from an economic perspective.

This is an excerpt from the 4-volume dictionary of economics, a reference book which aims to define the subject of economics today. 1300 subject entries in the complete work cover the broad themes of economic theory. This extract concentrates on utility and probability.

For sometime now, I felt that the evolution of the literature of econo metrics had mandated a higher level of mathematical proficiency. This is particularly evident beyond the level of the general linear model (GLM) and the general linear structural econometric model (GLSEM). The problems one encounters in nonlinear econometrics are not easily amenable to treatment by the analytical methods one typically acquires, when one learns about probability and inference through the use of den sity functions. Even in standard traditional topics, one is often compelled to resort to heuristics; for example, it is difficult to prove central limit theorems for nonidentically distributed or martingale sequences, solely by the use of characteristic functions. Yet such proofs are essential, even in only moderately sophisticated classroom exposition. Unfortunately, relatively few students enter a graduate economics de partment ready to tackle probability theory in measure theoretic terms. The present volume has grown out of the need to lay the foundation for such discussions. The motivating forces were, chiefly, (a) the frustration one encounters in attempting to communicate certain concepts to stu dents wholly in analytic terms; and (b) the unwillingness of the typical student to sit through several courses in mathematics departments, in order to acquire the requisite background.

Mathematical Modeling in Economics and Finance is designed as a textbook for an upper-division course on modeling in the economic sciences. The emphasis throughout is on the modeling process including post-modeling analysis and criticism. It is a textbook on modeling that happens to focus on financial instruments for the management of economic risk. The book combines a study of mathematical modeling with exposure to the tools of probability theory, difference and differential equations, numerical simulation, data analysis, and mathematical analysis. Students taking a course from Mathematical Modeling in Economics and Finance will come to understand some basic stochastic processes and the solutions to stochastic differential equations. They will understand how to use those tools to model the management of financial risk. They will gain a deep appreciation for the modeling process and learn methods of testing and evaluation driven by data. The reader of this book will be successfully positioned for an entry-level position in the financial services industry or for beginning graduate study in finance, economics, or actuarial science. The exposition in Mathematical Modeling in Economics and Finance is crystal clear and very student-friendly. The many exercises are extremely well designed. Steven Dunbar is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Nebraska and he has won both university-wide and MAA prizes for extraordinary teaching. Dunbar served as Director of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions from 2004 until 2015. His ability to communicate mathematics is on full display in this approachable, innovative text.