In the past few articles, I reviewed the primary methods of analyzing inequality, both on a national and international scale. Those were, of course, GDP and the Gini Coefficient. This week, I'll be doing something different by covering the pathway to economics research itself.
Compared with most other social sciences, economics research has a pretty high barrier to entry. That's not to say it's impossible to get involved as an undergraduate, just that you'll have to wait until you've completed enough coursework. That being said, since many economics majors aren't actually interested in research, there may be less competition once you finally meet the basic requirements.
To be a research assistant, most labs will want the following coursework, which, in most universities, takes 2 to 3 years to complete. It should go without saying that you'll also need to get good grades in those classes.
Statistics for Economics
Intermediate Microeconomics
Intermediate Macroeconomics
Introduction to Econometrics
In addition, you'll also want to be technically proficient in at least one of the following languages, plus its relevant modules.
Python
R
STATA
If you're lucky, your school may already have a program for undergraduates who want to get involved in economics research. In many cases, those programs won't be very well known, meaning you'll have to go out of your way to find them. Of course, not everyone has access to such pipelines, and if you don't, you'll need to reach out to graduate students and professors directly.
To do so, you'll first want to identify where the closest labs are since other universities in your area can also work. Most labs will have a directory of affiliated graduate students and professors. Your job is to skim through that list, identify a researcher in your area of interest, and then reach out via email. It's best to frame yourself as just wanting a quick meeting to ask a few questions. Most researchers tend to be passionate about their work, so they'll probably be pretty happy to meet with you.
Make sure you've thoroughly read their research beforehand so, when you finally do meet, you can ask a few good questions. The last question you ask can be something along the lines of, "what can I do now, if I want to do what you do someday?" However, It's important to understand that providing mentorship takes time and energy, so you might not be successful right away.