🌍 Week 3 Homework — Feedback
🌍 Week 3 Homework — Feedback
Student: Sebastiano Bacchi
Files: week3_homework_solution.m, gdp_quarterly.csv, clean_rgdp_panel.csv, week3_rgdp_comparison.png, week3_rgdp_growth.png
Assignment: World Bank Real GDP & Growth (CSV version)
✅ Overall Assessment
Result: ✅ Correct
The script runs smoothly and produces both required figures with clean and well-structured results.
Your implementation follows the intended workflow: data import → cleaning → computation of log GDP and growth → plotting → export.
The figures are clear, correctly labelled, and show consistent country patterns.
🔍 Task-by-Task Check (Slides Tasks 1–8)
| Task | Description | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Import NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (real GDP) from CSV |
✅ | Data loaded correctly from your input file. |
| 2 | Inspect & extract year/value pairs | ✅ | Proper table structure and conversion of years to numeric. |
| 3 | Build tidy table (country/iso3, year, value) |
✅ | clean_rgdp_panel.csv correctly formatted. |
| 4 | Compute logs & annual growth | ✅ | Log transformation and YoY growth correctly applied. |
| 5 | Verify US growth vs Week 1 | ✅ | Pattern consistent with expected data behaviour. |
| 6 | Plot Real GDP for selected countries + legend | ✅ | Figure week3_rgdp_comparison.png shows clean trends for France, Germany, and Italy. |
| 7 | Plot growth rates (subplots + average line) | ⚠️ | Combined in a single plot rather than subplots; acceptable but note for future assignments. |
| 8 | Export CSV panel with growth | ✅ | clean_rgdp_panel.csv produced successfully. |
📈 Figures Review
-
Real GDP Comparison:
The levels figure correctly shows long-run GDP growth across the three selected countries. Axes and legends are properly labelled, and the dynamics are consistent with expectations. -
Growth Comparison:
Year-on-year growth rates are well computed and plotted; the time range (1960–2023) is appropriate. Minor fluctuations are consistent with macroeconomic data volatility.
💬 Style & Reproducibility
- ✅ The script is clean, reproducible, and easy to follow.
- ✅ Figure and CSV naming conventions are consistent with the assignment.
- ⚠️ Avoid using “quarterly” data filenames (
gdp_quarterly.csv) if your series are annual, to prevent confusion. - ⚠️ Consider splitting growth plots into subplots with mean lines in future tasks (for full marks under Task 7).