Methods for Visualizing Economics

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management meeting in Balitmore

Transcript

1. Methods for Visualizing Economics VisualizingEconomics.com Catherine Mulbrandon cmulbrandon@gmail.com @visualecon
3. Methods for Graphing Data
4. VisualizingEconomics.com Breakdown the elements of a chart 0" 500,000" 1,000,000" 1,500,000" 2,000,000" 2,500,000" 3,000,000" 3,500,000" 4,000,000" 4,500,000" 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" 6" 7" 8" 9" 10" Length Angle
5. VisualizingEconomics.com Common Graphic Elements Posi-on Length Angle Slope Area Intensity Color Shape
6. VisualizingEconomics.com Most Efficient Gaming supervisors Coaches and scouts Writers and authors 90,000 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 Gaming supervisors Coaches and scouts Writers and authors 80,000 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 Gaming supervisors Coaches and scouts Writers and authors 90,000 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 Posi-on Length
7. VisualizingEconomics.com When precision is important the length works better that the area. 1,000 1,000 1,100 1,100
8. VisualizingEconomics.com Graphing Numbers More accurate Less accurate None Low, Medium, High Household, Individual, Family Categories Ranking Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Posi-on Length Angle Slope Area Intensity Color Shape
9. VisualizingEconomics.com Reading changes in slope easier at 45 degrees Too shallow Too steep
10. VisualizingEconomics.com Graphing Numbers More accurate Less accurate None Low, Medium, High Household, Individual, Family Categories Ranking Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Posi-on Length Angle Slope Area Intensity Color Shape
11. VisualizingEconomics.com Pie Charts Angle Area Area
12. VisualizingEconomics.com Alternatives to Pie Charts Bar Charts Stacked Bar Chart
13. VisualizingEconomics.com Business operations (nonfinance) 3% Other Real estate 3.2% Blue collar or miscellaneous service 3.8% Skilled sales (except finance or real estate) 4.2% Not working or deceased 4.3% Computer, math, engineering, technical (nonfinance) 4.6% Lawyers 8.4% Financial professions, including management 13.9% Medical 15.7% Executives, managers, supervisors (non-finance) 31% Top Occupations for Top 1% Occupations of the Top 1%
14. VisualizingEconomics.com Graphing Numbers More accurate Less accurate None Low, Medium, High Household, Individual, Family Categories Ranking Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Posi-on Length Angle Slope Area Intensity Color Shape
15. VisualizingEconomics.com Color Intensity Area Shape Seeing Patterns
16. VisualizingEconomics.com Highly Selective Color Intensity Area Shape
17. VisualizingEconomics.com Highly Associative Color Intensity Area Shape
18. VisualizingEconomics.com Color: Associative and Selective Color Intensity Area Shape
19. VisualizingEconomics.com Color Schemes Sequential Categories Divergent Low Medium High Household Individual Family Negative None Positive Single Multiple Intensity Color  (Hue) Color  (Hue) Intensity Color  (Hue)
20. VisualizingEconomics.com ColorBrewer2.org
21. VisualizingEconomics.com Small Multiples Align the Axis to support reading 90,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 Gaming supervisors Photographers Coaches and scouts Art directors Writers and authors 90,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 Gaming supervisors Photographers Coaches and scouts Art directors Writers and authors 90,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 Gaming supervisors Photographers Coaches and scouts Art directors Writers and authors 90,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 Gaming supervisors Photographers Coaches and scouts Art directors Writers and authors Top to Bottom Left to Right
22. VisualizingEconomics.com Share of Population vs Share of Income 100% 0 20 40 60 80 100% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Cumulative Share of Population Equal Distribution 1979 2007 100% 0 20 40 60 80 100% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Cumulative Share of Population Cumulative Share of Population Cumulative Share of Population Cumulative Share of Income Equal Distribution 1979 2007 100% 0 20 40 60 80 100% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Equal Distribution 1979 2007 100% 0 20 40 60 80 100% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Cumulative Share of Income 1979 2007 Equal Distribution Capital Business Capital Gains Labor
23. Tools and References
24. VisualizingEconomics.com Stock Market Price Changes
25. VisualizingEconomics.com OmniGraphSketcher
26. VisualizingEconomics.com
27. VisualizingEconomics.com R Project for Statistical Computing
28. VisualizingEconomics.com Illustrator
29. VisualizingEconomics.com R Tutorials FlowingData.com by Nathan Yau
30. VisualizingEconomics.com Simple icons from simple shapes
31. Median (50%) Average $49,445 $67,530 0 1000000 2000000 3000000 4000000 5000000 6000000 7000000 $350,000 $300,000 $250,000 $200,000 $150,000 $100,000 $50,000 $0 Each equals 500,000 households VisualizingEconomics.com Distribution of Household Income
32. VisualizingEconomics.com Defining the Labor Force Employed Children Under 16 Unemployed Not in Labor Force Active Duty Armed Forces In Prison, Jail, or Juvenile Correctional Facilities Institutionalized in a Nursing home/Hospital Discouraged Workers Other Marginally Attached Workers Part-time not for economics reasons Part-time for economics reasons
33. VisualizingEconomics.com TheNounProject.com
34. VisualizingEconomics.com Rudolf Modley’s “Pictograms”
35. VisualizingEconomics.com iStockphoto.com
36. VisualizingEconomics.com Icons by DutchIcon
37. VisualizingEconomics.com Further Readings Stephen Few Show Me the Numbers
38. VisualizingEconomics.com Catherine Mulbrandon cmulbrandon@gmail.com @visualecon An Illustrated Guide to Income in the United States