A fair book, however lacks clear language, and examplesWednesday, July 21, 2004
This book is written with the assumption that every reader should memorize the paragraphs to be able to build up conceptual logic. However, this assumption is not practical at all. If one wants to use this book as a reference it may help for sporadic research. But if the intention is to practice real -life cases of statistics and econometrics one would get bored of the long paragraphs and lose focus. In my opinion, the author should have used more vivid language, shorter paragraphs and practical examples that illustrate the theories that are embedded in the long text.
This book is adopted in many schools and regarded as an ultimate reference. However I suggest that another book be adopted or at least a companion practical guide demonstrating the theories in practice with solutions. Or a concise listing of case studies that coincide with the long paragraphs is needed to help students at all levels understand and grasp the inherent concepts.
Regards,
George..
1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:
High on the How, Low on the WhySaturday, March 13, 2004
For a complicated subject like econometrics, or advanced statistics in general, a truly easy to follow overview text is probably impossible. This book comes close and does a fine job of explaining the fundamentals (as an introduction or refresher) before getting into the nitty-gritty of econometrics. There are many examples and problem sets to illustrate the concepts, and the formulas are laid out well and presented in a logical order. You can clearly see how the complex formulas are generated and how they apply to econometric theories. The problem with this book is that the technical focus leads to a distressing lack of conceptual, big-picture understanding. You get exhaustive instructions on HOW to calculate complex statistical tools such as coefficients of determination or multiple aggression analyses. However, regardless of the real-world problem sets used as examples, there is usually little indication of WHY such exercises would be conducted, or WHAT the results truly mean. For example, you know how variance came to equal 2.9167, but does that number truly mean anything? An added problem is generally under-explained definitions of the terms, and a glossary sure would be helpful. This book will teach you with great precision how to calculate, but with precious little on how to interpret the results. {~doomsdayer520~]
The best book our there for undergraduate classes.Thursday, October 16, 2003
It's the best book out there for understanding basis statistics and its application to economics. It is very easy to read, understand and relatively easy to teach considering the intensity of the subject.
1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not bad, but not great!Friday, May 19, 2000
As an undergraduate economics student, this book served as a good reference for econometrics. While some basic information was omitted (which I would have found helpful), the book does an adequate job of laying out regression analysis, and its prerequisites, in a logical manner. The greatest sign of the value of a book, for a college student, is whether it is kept at the conclusion of a class or sold back. I kept this book, but I continue to look for an even better econometrics reference.
1 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Way too confusingWednesday, March 01, 2000
This book may be understandable for a professor. But as a student, it is way too confusing for a person who is just learning econometrics to grasp. A student can get really lost in this book. Overall, it is not worth the money to purchase