Presenter Index
The old format for the CAI page was beginning to show its age. Much has changed in instructional technology since the first session in 19XX. To make the page a more useful reference, all past presenters are being asked if they would like to maintain a current description of their work. In the next few months, this page will fill with their contributions. Every September, we will ask people participating in the index for updates and revisions.
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Miles B. Cahill

2006: “Estimating key macroeconomic relationships at the undergraduate level: Taylor rule and Okun’s Law examples” (Miles B. Cahill)

Abstract

This paper presents some Excel-based exercises that allow students to estimate some key macroeconomic relationships: Okun’s Law and the Taylor rule. The Okun’s law exercise has the additional benefit of providing estimates for long-run GDP growth. The Taylor rule exercises give students the opportunity to replicate, and then improve upon a seminal paper in macroeconomics. Overall, these exercises give students an introduction to some key aspects of conducting empirical research in macroeconomics, including manipulating models into a form that can be estimated and gathering and manipulating data. In addition, the exercises provide students with useful spreadsheet skills that can be used in other assignments and other arenas, long after graduation.

Cautionary note: paper is still in a preliminary stage

Supplementary web page for paper

http://www.holycross.edu/departments/economics/mcahill/AEA2006/
Contains links to paper and AEA presentation slides as well as lab instruction sheets, completed lab spreadsheets and links to data sources.

1999: New Uses for Spreadsheets: Increasing the Breadth and Depth of Economics Teaching (Miles B. Cahill and George Kosicki)

Published version

Cahill, Miles B. and George Kosicki, ““Exploring Economic Models Using Excel” (with George Kosicki), Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 66, No. 3 (January), 2000: pp. 770–792.

Abstract

This paper applies spreadsheet software to intermediate-level consumer theory concepts. Spreadsheets help to make the concepts more accessible while at the same time allowing students to explore the ideas in more depth. Areas of application are utility functions, income and substitution effects, price indices, measures of welfare change, and the optimal saving rate. We chose the examples to stimulate awareness and discussion of the many classroom uses for four important Excel spreadsheet tools: three-dimensional graphs, iteration, Goal Seek, and Solver.