References & Further Reading
Source materials and recommended reading
Essential Reading
Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham (Yale)
Getting Started with Claude Code — Comprehensive setup guide for researchers. Covers the AI tools hierarchy (levels 0–5), context windows, terminal setup, and practical tips. Start here.
Research in the Time of AI — Essay on how AI reshapes the research pipeline without replacing researchers. The “flashlight” metaphor. Addresses anxieties about slop production and job displacement honestly.
Scott Cunningham (Baylor)
- Claude Code Series (36+ posts) — Running documentation of using Claude Code for empirical econometrics. Highlights:
- CC36: I Was Wrong About P-Hacking — Honest public correction of his own flawed analysis. Exemplary intellectual honesty.
- CC31: Apple-to-Apple Audit of 6 DiD Packages — Same estimator, same spec, same data, different answers across packages. AI as research audit tool.
- CC30: Hadn’t the Satisfaction Always Been in the Discovering? — Philosophical reflection on what happens when AI handles the technical work.
Chris Blattman (UChicago)
- claudeblattman.com — A senior political economist at UChicago who started with zero coding experience in January 2026 and built a working AI workflow system in three months. The site documents every workflow, skill, template, and lesson — MIT-licensed and free. Start with Chatbots Done Right, then Your CLAUDE.md, then Prompt → Plan → Review → Revise.
Matt Van Horn
- Every Claude Code Hack I Know — Power user’s guide to plan-first development, voice input, parallel sessions, and advanced configurations. “No IDE. Just plan.md files and voice.” 857K views.
Data Sources Used in the Workshop
BACI (CEPII)
World bilateral trade flows at the product level. Harmonized from UN COMTRADE. Available at cepii.fr.
CEPII GeoDist
Bilateral geographic and cultural distances for 225 countries. Includes physical distance, contiguity, common language, colonial history.
UNGA Voting Data
UN General Assembly ideal point estimates (Bailey, Strezhnev & Voeten). Measures political alignment between country pairs over time.
PLAID
Product-Level AI-Derived Indicators (Behrens & Hinz). Six product-level classifications for all HS 6-digit codes: Rauch, BEC, perishability, dual-use, microchip content, conflict minerals. Built using an ensemble of four frontier LLMs.
Academic Background
- Head, K. & Mayer, T. (2013). “What separates us? Sources of resistance to globalization.” Canadian Journal of Economics, 46(4), 1196–1231. — The gravity equation as a tool for understanding trade resistance. Classic figures reproduced in the live demo.