Model Specification in the Analysis of Spatial Dependence
35 Pages Posted: 11 Feb 2008 Last revised: 30 Jul 2012
Date Written: April 6, 2010
Abstract
The recent surge in studies analyzing spatial dependence in political science has gone hand in hand with increased attention paid to the choice of estimation technique. In comparison, specification choice has been relatively neglected, even though it leads to equally, if not more, serious inference problems. In this article we analyze four specification issues. We argue that to avoid biased estimates of the spatial effects, researchers need to consider carefully how to model temporal dynamics, common trends and common shocks, as well as how to account for spatial clustering in the dependent variable. The remaining two specification issues relate to the weighting matrix employed for the creation of spatial effects: whether it should be row-standardized and what functional form to choose for this matrix. We demonstrate the importance of these specification issues by replicating Hays's (2003, 2008) model of spatial dependence in international capital tax rate competition. Seemingly small changes to model specification have major impacts on the spatial effect estimates. We recommend that spatial analysts develop their theories of spatial dependencies further to provide more guidance on the specification of the estimation model. In the absence of sufficiently developed theories, the robustness of results to specification changes needs to be demonstrated.
Keywords: spatial, econometrics, weighting matrix, specification, diffusion, contagion, spill-over
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Competing for Capital: The Diffusion of Bilateral Investment Treaties, 1960-2000
By Zachary Elkins, Andrew T. Guzman, ...
-
Competing for Capital: The Diffusion of Bilateral Investment Treaties, 1960-2000
By Beth A. Simmons, Zachary Elkins, ...
-
Competing for Capital: The Diffusion of Bilateral Investment Treaties, 1960-2000
By Beth A. Simmons, Andrew T. Guzman, ...
-
Do Bilateral Investment Treaties Increase Foreign Direct Investment to Developing Countries?
By Eric Neumayer and Laura Spess
-
Do Double Taxation Treaties Increase Foreign Direct Investment to Developing Countries?
-
On Waves, Clusters, and Diffusion: A Conceptual Framework
By Beth A. Simmons and Zachary Elkins