Using a rigorous and concise framework, this book teaches the foundations of modern macroeconomic theory and its methods. It is ideally suited for students taking a first graduate course in macroeconomics as part of an MBA, finance, or economics degree. The book explains recent advances of modern macroeconomic theory with respect to growth, business cycles, and asset pricing by focusing on aspects of firm and household behavior that are embedded in modern macroeconomic studies. Throughout the book data issues are discussed in detail: where to find the data, how to download it, and the correspondence of data with model predictions. The mathematical level assumes that students have taken a course in calculus. With its emphasis on dynamic inter-temporal macroeconomics and the use of data, the book provides students with a core toolkit that will equip them both for more advanced study and for professional careers as economists.

We combine publicly available data from Freddie Mac, the Decennial Census of Housing, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis to construct the first constant-quality aggregate price index for the stock of residential land in the United States. We uncover five main results: (a) since 1970, residential land prices have grown faster but (b) have also been twice as volatile as existing home prices; (c) averaged from 1970 to 2003, the nominal stock of residential land under 1-4 unit structures accounts for 38% of the market value of the housing stock and is equal to 50% of nominal annual GDP; (d) the real stock of residential land under 1-4 unit structures has increased an average of 0.6% per year since 1970; and (e) residential investment leads the price of residential land by three quarters. We also estimate that in 2003: Q3 the nominal value of the entire stock of residential land is the same as annual GDP. Finally, we show for the US data that the logarithms of the nominal price index for residential land, disposable income, and interest rates are cointegrated.