Advanced Panel Data Methods
Chapter 14_Review
Course tutor: Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Mai 1
Fixed effects estimation
Fixed effect, potentially correlated
with explanatory variables
Form time-averages for
each individual
Because (the fixed effect is removed)
• Estimate time-demeaned equation by OLS (the unobserved time-
constant effect in is controlled)
Fixed effects estimation
• Example: Effect of training grants on firm scrap rate
Time-invariant reasons why one firm is more productive than another are controlled for.
The important point is that these may be correlated with the other explanatory variables.
Stars denote
Fixed-effects estimation using the years 1987, 1988, and 1989: time-demeaning
Training grants significantly improve productivity (with a time lag)
Random effects estimation
The individual effect is assumed to be “random” i.e.
completely unrelated to explanatory variables
Random effects assumption:
The composite error term = ai + uit is uncorrelated with the explanatory variables
• Transformed equation:
Quasi-demeaned data
Random effects estimation
• Example: Wage equation using panel data
Random effects is used because
many of the variables are time-
invariant.
Random effects or fixed effects?
• Fixed effects allows arbitrary correlation between and the
explanatory variables, while random effects does not => FE is widely
thought to be a more convincing tool for estimating ceteris paribus
effects.
• Still, random effects is applied in certain situations. Most obviously, if
the key explanatory variable is constant over time, we cannot use FE
to estimate its effect on y.
• It is still fairly common to see researchers apply both random effects
and fixed effects, and then formally test for statistically significant
differences in the coefficients on the time-varying explanatory
variables => Hausman test