Econometrics Commons^™

Granger Causality And Structural Causality In Cross-Section And Panel Data, Xun Lu, Liangjun Su, Halbert White

Liangjun Su

Granger non-causality in distribution is fundamentally a probabilistic conditional independence notion that can be applied not only to time series data but also to cross-section and panel data. In this paper, we provide a natural definition of structural causality in cross-section and panel data and forge a direct link between Granger (G-) causality and structural causality under a key conditional exogeneity assumption. To put it simply, when structural effects are well defined and identifiable, G- non-causality follows from structural non-causality, and with suitable conditions (e.g., separability or monotonicity), structural causality also implies G-causality. This justifies using tests of G- non-causality …

Sieve Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression Estimation Of Functional Coefficient Models, Liangjun Su, Tadao Hoshina

Liangjun Su

In this paper, we consider sieve instrumental variable quantile regression (IVQR) estimation of functional coefficient models where the coefficients of endogenous regressors are unknown functions of some exogenous covariates. We approximate the unknown functional coefficients by some basis functions and estimate them by the IVQR technique. We establish the uniform consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimators of the functional coefficients. Based on the sieve estimates, we propose a nonparametric specification test for the constancy of the functional coefficients, study its asymptotic properties under the null hypothesis, a sequence of local alternatives and global alternatives, and propose a wild-bootstrap procedure …

Shrinkage Estimation Of Common Breaks In Panel Data Models Via Adaptive Group Fused Lasso, Junhui Qian, Liangjun Su

Liangjun Su

In this paper we consider estimation and inference of common breaks in panel data models via adaptive group fused Lasso. We consider two approaches—penalized least squares (PLS) for first-differenced models without endogenous regressors, and penalized GMM (PGMM) for first-differenced models with endogeneity. We show that with probability tending to one, both methods can correctly determine the unknown number of breaks and estimate the common break dates consistently. We establish the asymptotic distributions of the Lasso estimators of the regression coefficients and their post Lasso versions. We also propose and validate a data-driven method to determine the tuning parameter used in …

Panel Data Models With Interactive Fixed Effects And Multiple Structural Breaks, Degui Li, Junhui Qian, Liangjun Su

Liangjun Su

In this paper we consider estimation of common structural breaks in panel data models with unobservable interactive fixed effects. We introduce a penalized principal component (PPC) estimation procedure with an adaptive group fused LASSO to detect the multiple structural breaks in the models. Under some mild conditions, we show that with probability approaching one the proposed method can correctly determine the unknown number of breaks and consistently estimate the common break dates. Furthermore, we estimate the regression coefficients through the post-LASSO method and establish the asymptotic distribution theory for the resulting estimators. The developed methodology and theory are applicable to …

Synthetic Control Estimation Beyond Case Studies: Does The Minimum Wage Reduce Employment?, David Powell

David Powell

Does Labor Supply Respond To Transitory Income? Evidence From The Economic Stimulus Payments Of 2008, David Powell

David Powell

Tax policy is often used to encourage consumer spending in recessions and a growing literature finds evidence that households increase short-term spending in response to receipt of tax rebates. The literature has largely ignored the effect on labor supply as rebates may crowd out labor earnings and households may consume additional leisure. The responsiveness of labor supply to transitory income has been underexplored more broadly so it is difficult to predict this labor supply effect. I exploit the randomized timing of the 2008 economic stimulus payments to study the effects of transitory income on monthly household labor earnings. Rebates can …

Return Predictability In International Financial Markets And The Role Of Investor Sentiment, Anjeza Kadilli

Anjeza Kadilli

We investigate the predictability of stock returns in the financial market for a large panel of developed countries using investor sentiment, business-cycle variables and financial indicators within two panel regime-switching models, with threshold and smooth transition between regimes. We find strong evidence of predictability of long-term returns following the business cycles, but much weaker results for the short-run returns. During crisis times, investor sentiment and inflation become key factors in predicting stock returns. Different tests and goodness of fit measures point out that the use of regime-switching models is more appropriate than linear models. To our knowledge, this study is …

Resource Wealth And Entrepreneurship: A Blessing Or A Curse?, Mohammad Reza Farzanegan

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Reza Farzanegan

Resource-rich countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have the highest youth unemployment rate in the world. While other parts of the world are experiencing an increasing trend in new firms’ formation as a potential solution for their unemployment problem, the MENA region has the lowest records in new business establishments. In this study, we investigate the reasons behind such a significant lag of the resource-rich countries in entrepreneurship. Panel data for more than 80 countries from 2004-2009 shows that higher dependence on resource rents reduces entrepreneurship activities. The decline is more significant in countries with higher levels …

Determinants Of Chilean Youth Voter Registration: Evidence For The Biobio Region, Andres A. Acuña

Andres A. Acuña

Youth voter registration is a worldwide phenomenon that exhibits a marked decline over the last two decades. On this basis, this paper presents evidence regarding those factors that determine the voter registration of Chilean youth, in particular, the inhabitants of Biobio region. In addition, it presents a microeconomic model for the voter registration decision, which enables to derive an empirical expression that can be estimated and tested. This empirical expression is coherent with the model proposed by Silberman and Durden (1975), which considers a relationship between voter registration and several social/economic variables. The model is estimated using a dynamic panel …