Certificate Course in Narrative Economics

Have you ever wondered why financial markets soar or collapse, often defying pure logic? Or why certain economic ideas, whether true or false, go viral and change the behavior of millions, causing bubbles or recessions? The answer isn't always in the cold data, but in something much more human: the stories we tell ourselves.

Welcome to Narrative Economics, the fascinating field popularized by Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller. This course will immerse you in the study of how popular stories—the accounts, myths, and explanations circulating in society—hold immense power to influence our individual and collective economic decisions, from buying a house to investing in the stock market or designing crucial public policies.

We'll explore how narratives spread like "epidemics," shaping expectations and causing real economic shifts. We'll go beyond traditional quantitative models to integrate psychology, history, behavioral economics, and data analysis (both qualitative and quantitative, including Natural Language Processing) to understand this hidden engine of the economy.

We will analyze impactful historical cases like Tulip Mania, the Great Depression, the Dot-Com Bubble, the 2008 financial crisis, and modern phenomena such as the cryptocurrency craze, the narrative impact of COVID-19, and emerging stories about Artificial Intelligence and climate change. You will learn to identify, track, and analyze these powerful narratives, understanding their life cycle and tangible impact.

By the end, you will not only see the economy in a completely new and deeper way, but you will also develop critical skills to interpret the world around you, anticipate trends, and make more informed decisions in an era defined by the stories we believe. Get ready to decipher the narrative code of the economy!