Software setup - norrissam/ra-manual GitHub Wiki

Below are links to installing and setting up the software we will commonly use (whether you are on a PC or a Mac), along with links to useful software manuals:

Software

GitHub

We use GitHub for task management and software version control. Send your GitHub username to the group member in charge of setting up the GitHub repository, so that you can be added. If you have not used GitHub before, join GitHub and also either install GitHub desktop or install Git (Git for Windows here).

Resources for learning git and GitHub workflow:

Dropbox

Data is stored in Dropbox. You should have a paid account.

Latex

We write papers in latex. You will need to download latex as well as an editor (I like texmaker.)

Stata

When possible, data analysis will be done in Stata. A university license may be available, or you can order Stata directly.

Julia

We use Julia to run certain regressions faster through Stata, the command themselves are run in Stata but require installing Julia.

  • You can download Julia using your computer's terminal as per this link. Installing Julia
  • You then need to integrate Julia into Stata and download the relevant regression commands using the following code:
ssc install julia
ssc install reghdfejl

Python

Python is a flexible programming language with many uses. We use it principally for structural models.

Conda and version control

For projects that use Python, it's important to use a conda environment to ensure that everyone is using the same versions of software. You will need to download conda which is a useful package manager.

  1. Here is how to create a new environment and export it as a yml file:
conda create -n myenv python=3.11 // specify python versino
conda activate myenv
conda install pandas numpy scipy // install packages (you can specify version numbers)
conda env export environment.yml
  1. Here is how to create and activate an environment from an existing yml file:
conda env create -f newenv.yml 
conda activate newenv