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Spurious regressions and near-multicollinearity, with an application to aid, policies and growth

Author

Listed:
  • Jean-Bernard Chatelain

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Kirsten Ralf

    (Ecole Supérieure du Commerce Extérieur - ESCE - International business school)

Abstract

In multiple regressions, explanatory variables with simple correlation coefficients with the dependent variable below 0.1 in absolute value (such as aid/gross domestic product (GDP) with GDP growth) face a problem of parameter identification. They may have very large, statistically significant, estimated parameters which are unfortunately "outliers driven" and spurious. This is obtained by including another regressor which is highly correlated with the initial regressor, such as a lag, a square or interaction terms of this regressor. The analysis is applied on the "Gambia and Botswana outliers driven" Burnside and Dollar (2000) article which found that aid/GDP had an effect on growth only for countries achieving "good" macroeconomic policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Bernard Chatelain & Kirsten Ralf, 2014. "Spurious regressions and near-multicollinearity, with an application to aid, policies and growth," Post-Print hal-00978147, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00978147
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmacro.2013.11.003
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Chatelain, Jean-Bernard, 2010. "Can statistics do without artefacts?," MPRA Paper 42867, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Thomas B. Marvell, 2025. "A Test for Endogeneity in Regressions," EERI Research Paper Series EERI RP 2025/05, Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI), Brussels.
    3. Karim Azizi & Nicolas Canry & Jean-Bernard Chatelain & Bruno Tinel, 2013. "Government Solvency, Austerity and Fiscal Consolidation in the OECD: A Keynesian Appraisal of Transversality and No Ponzi Game Conditions," Working Papers hal-00818474, HAL.
    4. Jean-Bernard Chatelain & Kirsten Ralf, 2012. "Les liaisons fallacieuses : quasi-colinéarité et « suppresseur classique », aide au développement et croissance," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 63(3), pages 557-567.
    5. Öhler, Hannes, 2017. "A micro-level analysis of the effects of aid fragmentation and aid alignment," IDOS Discussion Papers 7/2017, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    6. Pauline Grosjean & Rose Khattar, 2014. "It's Raining Men! Hallelujah?," Discussion Papers 2014-29B, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    7. Jean-Bernard Chatelain & Kirsten Ralf, 2012. "The Failure Of Financial Macroeconomics And What To Do About It," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 80, pages 21-53, September.
    8. Jean-Bernard Chatelain & Kirsten Ralf, 2012. "Les liaisons fallacieuses : quasi-colinéarité et « suppresseur classique », aide au développement et croissance," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 12011, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    9. Kunal Y. Sevak & LaKami Baker, 2022. "Need‐resource indicators and nonprofit human services organization density," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(1), pages 129-160, March.
    10. Jiabin Zhang & Joeri Hugten & Wouter Stam, 2025. "Save for a rainy day? How regional household savings constrain entrepreneurship after a natural disaster," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 2013-2033, April.
    11. Thomas Ziesemer, 2016. "The Impact of Development Aid on Education and Health: Survey and New Evidence for Low‐income Countries from Dynamic Models," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(8), pages 1358-1380, November.
    12. Shaomeng Jia & Claudia R. Williamson, 2019. "Aid, Policies, And Growth: Why So Much Confusion?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 37(4), pages 577-599, October.
    13. John Komlos, 2020. "Multicollinearity in the Presence of Errors-in-Variables Can Increase the Probability of Type-I Error," Journal of Economics and Econometrics, Economics and Econometrics Society, vol. 63(1), pages 1-17.
    14. Maxime Fajeau, 2021. "Too much finance or too many weak instruments?," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 165, pages 14-36.
    15. Massimiliano Giacalone & Demetrio Panarello & Raffaele Mattera, 2018. "Multicollinearity in regression: an efficiency comparison between Lp-norm and least squares estimators," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 1831-1859, July.
    16. Solomon Samanhyia & Danny Cassimon, 2019. "The Effect of Aid on Growth in the Presence of Economic Regime Change," The African Finance Journal, Africagrowth Institute, vol. 21(2), pages 1-23.
    17. Pauline Grosjean & Rose Khattar, 2014. "It's Raining Men! Hallelujah?," Discussion Papers 2014-29A, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    18. Hao Jin & Si Zhang & Jinsuo Zhang, 2017. "Spurious regression due to neglected of non-stationary volatility," Computational Statistics, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 1065-1081, September.
    19. Gille, Véronique, 2015. "Distribution of human capital and income: An empirical study on Indian States," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 239-256.
    20. Pauline Grosjean & Rose Khattar, 2014. "It's Raining Men! Hallelujah?," Discussion Papers 2014-29C, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    21. María Franco Chuaire & Carlos Scartascini & Mariano Tommasi, 2017. "State capacity and the quality of policies. Revisiting the relationship between openness and government size," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 133-156, July.
    22. Pauline Grosjean & Rose Khattar, 2014. "It's Raining Men! Hallelujah?," Discussion Papers 2014-29, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C12 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Hypothesis Testing: General
    • O19 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations
    • P45 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - International Linkages

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