Essays in Panel Data Econometrics

This volume collects seven of Marc Nerlove's previously published, classic essays on panel data econometrics written over the past thirty-five years, together with a cogent essay on the history of the subject, which began with George Biddell Airey's monograph published in 1861. Since Professor Nerlove's 1966 Econometrica paper with Pietro Balestra, panel data and methods of econometric analysis appropriate to such data have become increasingly important in the discipline. The principal factors in the research environment affecting the future course of panel data econometrics are the phenomenal growth in the computational power available to the individual researcher at his or her desktop and the ready availability of data sets, both large and small, via the Internet. The best way to formulate statistical models for inference is motivated and shaped by substantive problems and understanding of the processes generating the data at hand to resolve them. The essays illustrate both the role of the substantive context in shaping appropriate methods of inference and the increasing importance of computer-intensive methods.

Table of Contents:
1. The history of panel data econometrics, 1861–1997; 2. Pooling cross-section and time-series data in the estimation of a dynamic model: the demand for natural gas (with Pietro Balestra); 3. Experimental evidence on the estimation of dynamic economic relations from a time-series of cross-sections; 4. Further evidence on the estimation of dynamic economic relations from a time-series of cross-sections; 5. A note on error-components models; 6. Growth rate convergence, fact or artifact? An essay on panel data econometrics; 7. Properties of alternative estimators of dynamic panel models: an empirical analysis of cross-country data for the study of economic growth; 8. Likelihood inference for dynamic panel models.

Review :
"Marc Nerlove, more than any other economist, pioneered the econometric analysis of panel data. This book presents many of his classic papers and provides a valuable synthesis of panel data econometrics starting with early work and including the latest developments in the field. It can be read at many levels as a history of an important line of econometric research, as a guide to a vast literature and as a resource for solving specific empirical problems that arise in analyzing panel data. The blend of theory, data and econometrics is superb. This is a masterful work." James Heckman, Nobel Laureate, University of Chicago "This volume draws together related research on panel data econometrics over the last thirty five years with a new essay on the history by its initiator and one of the most creative econometricians of our time. Written with rigor, force and elegance, it captures the excitement and insight that has led to many major research programs. Combining rich history and fresh ideas, each chapter is a classic. The volume is a source of inspiration for both empirical and theoretical researchers. It will be an indispensable addition to every economics library." Cheng Hsiao, University of Southern California "The analysis of panel data has been one of the fastest growing and intensively studied fields in econometrics for over thirty years. These Essays in Panel Data Econometrics are the foundation of the field. From the classic Balestra-Nerlove study of 1966 through the contemporary work described in this book, dynamic modeling with panel data has attracted some of the most active and innovative research in econometrics. Students and practitioners will find in this collection a wealth of useful results and a fascinating tour of the intellectual development of this important branch of econometrics." William Greene, Stern School of Business, New York University "This is a collection of first rate papers in and on panel data econometrics. For the general econometrician who wants to go beyond what he can find in the available textbooks, it should be challenging and instructive reading." Jacques Mairesse, CREST-ENSAE, France "Marc Nerlove has been a pioneer in many important econometric models, especially the panel data models discussed in this book. His seminal paper with Balestra and the two follow-up papers have had a great impact on the econometricians and led to a rapid growth of the analysis of panel data. Nerlove's research is characterized by the thorough analysis and the keen insight that cut through apparently impregnable problems and has been singularly successful in the analysis of panel data, which presents a host of complicated statistical issues. Everyone interested in panel data will welcome this volume, in which Nerlove has newly written a characteristically thorough survey of the area and put together his previously published articles, some of which are not so easily accessible." Takeshi Amemiya, Stanford University "Marc Nerlove's history of panel data econometrics is a welcome contribution to narrowing the gap between econometric theory and empirical practice. His thought- provoking account of the early developments in fixed and random effects models masterfully brings together economic and statistical considerations. It will certainly not leave readers indifferent. This volume also brings together Nerlove's pioneering articles on dynamic random effects models, and his more recent reflections on empirical country growth analysis, likelihood inference, and panel data methodology. The three parts together become a valuable reference source and give us a comprehensive picture of the working of a very influential mind in the shaping of the field of panel data econometrics." Manuel Arellano, CEMFI, Spain