Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Lagrange Multiplier Tests for Panel Seemingly Unrelated Regressions with Spatial Lag and Spatial Errors: An Application to Hedonic Housing Prices in Paris

This paper proposes maximum likelihood estimators for panel seemingly unrelated regressions with both spatial lag and spatial error components. We study the general case where spatial effects are incorporated via spatial errors terms and via a spatial lag dependent variable and where the heterogeneity in the panel is incorporated via an error component specification. We generalize the approach of Wang and Kockelman (2007) and propose joint and conditional Lagrange Multiplier tests for spatial autocorrelation and random effects for this spatial SUR panel model. The small sample performance of the proposed estimators and tests are examined using Monte Carlo experiments. An empirical application to hedonic housing prices in Paris illustrates these methods. The proposed specification uses a system of three SUR equations corresponding to three types of flats within 80 districts of Paris over the period 1990-2003. We test for spatial effects and heterogeneity and find reasonable estimates of the shadow prices for housing characteristics.spatial lag, panel spatial dependence, maximum likelihood, Lagrange multiplier tests, hedonic housing prices, spatial error, SUR

Medical Technology and the Production of Health Care

This paper investigates the factors that determine differences across OECD countries inhealth outcomes, using data on life expectancy at age 65, over the period 1960 to 2007. We estimate a production function where life expectancy depends on health and social spending, lifestyle variables, and medical innovation. Our first set of regressions includes a set of observed medical technologies by country. Our second set of regressions proxy technology using a spatial process. The paper also tests whether in the long-run countries tend to achieve similar levels of health outcomes. Our results show that health spending has a significant and mild effect on health out- comes, even after controlling for medical innovation. However, its short-run adjustments do not seem to have an impact on health care productivity. Spatial spill overs in life expectancy are significant and point to the existence of interdependence across countries in technology adoption. Furthermore, nations with initial low levels of life expectancy tend to catch up with those with longer-lived populations

Forecasting with Spatial Panel Data

This paper compares various forecasts using panel data with spatial error correlation. The true data generating process is assumed to be a simple error component regression model with spatial remainder disturbances of the autoregressive or moving average type. The best linear unbiased predictor is compared with other forecasts ignoring spatial correlation, or ignoring heterogeneity due to the individual effects, using Monte Carlo experiments. In addition, we check the performance of these forecasts under misspecification of the spatial error process, various spatial weight matrices, and heterogeneous rather than homogeneous panel data models.forecasting, BLUP, panel data, spatial dependence, heterogeneity

Phillips Curve or wage curve? : evidence from West Germany: 1980-2004

"This paper reconsiders the West German wage curve using the employment statistics of the Federal Employment Services of Germany (Bundesanstalt für Arbeit) over the period 1980-2004. This updates the earlier study by Baltagi and Blien (1998) by 15 years for a more disaggregated 326 regions of West Germany. It is based on a random sample of 417,426 individuals drawn from the population of employees whose establishments are required to report to the social insurance system. We find that the wage equation is highly autoregressive but far from unit root. This means that this wage equation is not a pure Phillips curve, nor a static wage curve, and one should account for wage dynamics. This in turn leads to a smaller but significant unemployment elasticity of -0.02 up to -0.03 rather than the -0.07 reported in the static wage curve results reported by Baltagi and Blien (1998)." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))Arbeitslosenquote, Lohnhöhe, regionaler Arbeitsmarkt, Lohnkurve, IAB-Beschäftigtenstichprobe, Phillipskurve, Westdeutschland, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

The Turkish Wage Curve: Evidence from the Household Labor Force Survey

This paper examines the Turkish wage curve using individual data from the Household Labor Force Survey (HLFS) including 26 NUTS-2 regions over the period 2005-2008. When the local unemployment rate is treated as predetermined, there is evidence in favor of the wage curve only for younger and female workers. However, if the lagged unemployment rate is used as an instrument for current unemployment rate, we find an unemployment elasticity of -0.099. We also find a higher elasticity for younger, less educated, low experienced workers than for older, more educated and more experienced workers. Another important finding is that the wages of females in Turkey are significantly more responsive to local unemployment rates than their male counterparts.wage curve, fixed effects, instrumental variables, two-stage least squares

LM Tests for Functional Form and Spatial Correlation

This paper derives Lagrangian Multiplier tests to jointly test for functional form and spatial error correlation. In particular, this paper tests for linear and loglinear models with no spatial error dependence against a more general Box-Cox model with spatial error correlation. Conditional LM tests and modified Rao-Score tests that guard against local misspecification are also derived. These tests are easy to implement and are illustrated using Anselin's (1988) crime data. The performance of these tests are also compared using Monte Carlo experiments.

A panel data study of physicians’ labor supply: The case of Norway

Physicians are key personnel in a sector which is important due to its size as well as the quality of service it provides. We estimate the labor supply of physicians employed at hospitals in Norway, using personnel register data merged with other public records. A dynamic labor supply equation is estimated using a sample of 1303 physicians observed over the period 1993-97. The methods of estimation are GMM and system GMM. We reject the static model in favor of a dynamic model and obtain a long-run wage elasticity of about 0.55. This is considerably higher than previously estimated for physicians, in particular for those who are not self-employed.Physicians; labor supply; dynamic panel data.

Intra- and extra-euro area import demand for manufactures

The aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of the key determinants of intra- and extra-euro area imports. Using a simultaneous equation estimation framework, and pooling the data across nine euro area countries as an approximation of the euro area, we estimate intra- and extra-euro area import demand functions and impose various restrictions within and across equations. We find that there are significant substitution effects between intra- and extra-euro area imports due to changes in their relative prices, while exchange rate volatility decreases trade vis-à-vis regions characterised by volatility and leads to substitution of trade away from higher-volatility regions towards lower-volatility regions. JEL Classification: C32, C33, E00, E32, O3intra- and extra-euro area imports, substitution, three stage least squares, trade integration

Will Increased Wages Reduce Shortage of Nurses? A Panel Data Analysis of Nurses' Labor Supply

Shortage of nurses is a problem in several countries. It is an unsettled question whether increasing wages constitute a viable policy for extracting more labor supply from nurses. In this paper we use a unique matched panel data set of Norwegian nurses covering the period 1993-1997 to estimate wage elasticities. This data includes detailed information on 18,066 individuals over 5 years totaling 56,832 observations. The estimated elasticity when controlling for individual and time invariant fixed effects is significantly positive but not very high in magnitude. Individual and institutional features are significant and important for working hours. We have also access to information about contractual arrangements. It turns out that shift work is important for hours of work, and that omitting information about this common phenomenon will underestimate the wage effect.Nurses, labor supply, panel data, selection