Friday, October 21, 2011

Sargent and Sims are Econometricians!

It's official! This year's Economics Nobel laureates, Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims, are Econometricians! The latest issue of the Royal Statistical Society's Newsletter makes that very point, clearly and repeatedly!

So, back off you Empirical Macro. types! Chris Sims certainly teaches grad. courses in Econometric Theory and Time Series, and in his c.v. he describes his areas of research interest as: "econometric theory for dynamic models; macroeconomic theory and policy". Notice how econometric theory comes first? So there!

I admit that the case is less convincing in the case of Sargent - but it depends on how broadly you define "econometrics". The web page at NYU's Stern School certainly declares him to be a macroeconomist. But he's a past-President of the Econometric Society. And both he and Sims are Fellows of that august body.

That's close enough for me! ☺


© 2011, David E. Giles