The course provides the basic elements to design and implement an empirical analysis at regional or country level. The first part of the course is devoted to learning how to organize an empirical paper/report and present the results of an empirical analysis. The second part shows to the student how to create a database using a statistical software and how to collect data at regional or country level from various sources. The third part is devoted to the analysis of the data collected with basic statistical methods. During the whole course, the student is asked to use a statistical software. The evaluation consists of a presentation during the last class, the preparation of a brief essay, and the student participation during classes. The course is taught in French.