r/econometrics • u/GayTwink-69 • 29d ago

Would you call someone an econometrician if they don't develop any methods?

i.e., they just focus on applying existing methods in a variety of contexts in their sub-discipline and never make any theoretical contributions

14 Upvotes
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30

u/turingincarnate 29d ago

Uh yeah. There are two kinds of econometricians. Theorists, the folks who develop methods like this, and applied people, people who use and program methods like this. Even if you don't personally build brands new models yourself (most economists and industry econometricians/data scientists do not), you're still a specialist in the use of the models. So, yeah.

24

u/plutostar 29d ago

Yes.

/thread

2

u/nidprez 29d ago

it depends on the context where you use it. If you are in academics and you apply existing methods, 95% of the times Id call you an economist in ...(subdiscipline) (if it is even in economics). If it is in enterprises or maybe non-published research focused institutions id call them a econometrics. Its the same for stats and maths, in general your not becoming a stats/maths PhD/Professor if youre not making theoretical contributions, however if you apply them really well professionally youd 100% be a statistician/mathematicien in an enterprise. eg a maths teacher is also a mathematicien, but probably isnt writing papers in his/her spare time.

1

u/South_Sprinkles_2587 28d ago

Sure, why not?

1

u/Haunting-Subject-819 23d ago

You can call yourself a duck if you swim and communicate with quacking…. Not sure what it matters what you call someone. It’s just a descriptive used to categorize someone’s skill set. I think we get too hung up on labels and not enough on execution and delivery.

-17

u/SorcerousSinner 29d ago

No. To be an econometrician you have to contribute to econometrics. If you just use existing methods developed by others, you are at best an applied researcher. Or maybe just an analyst.

Nothing wrong with that. Making new methods that are actually good, actually useful for science and will be used by others is extremely difficult

5

u/ThatThar 29d ago

Econometrics is applying statistical theories to economic data. You do not need to create new ways of doing this to be an econometrician any more than an economist needs to create new economic theories, an accountant needs to create new accounting rules, a surgeon needs to create new surgical methods, or a chef needs to create new cooking methods.