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A Rise By Any Other Name? Sensitivity of Growth Regressions to Data Source

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  • Randall Filer
  • Jan Hanousek
  • Dana Hajkova

Abstract

Measured rates of growth in real per capita income differ drastically depending on the data source. This phenomenon occurs largely because data sets differ in whether and how they adjust for changes in relative prices across countries. Replication of several recent studies of growth determinants shows that results are sensitive in important ways to the choice of data. Previous warnings against using data adjusted to increase cross-country comparability to study within-country patterns over time (growth rates) have been largely ignored at the cost of possibly contaminating the conclusions.

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  • Randall Filer & Jan Hanousek & Dana Hajkova, 2007. "A Rise By Any Other Name? Sensitivity of Growth Regressions to Data Source," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series wp889, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    • Handle: RePEc:wdi:papers:2007-889
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    3. Randall K. Filer & Dragana Stanišić, 2016. "The Effect of Terrorist Incidents on Capital Flows," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 502-513, May.
    4. Ulaşan, Bülent, 2012. "Cross-country growth empirics and model uncertainty: An overview," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 6, pages 1-69.
    5. Jong-A-Pin, Richard & Mierau, Jochen O., 2022. "No country for old men: Aging dictators and economic growth," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    6. Thomas Gries & Manfred Kraft & Daniel Meierrieks, 2011. "Financial deepening, trade openness and economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(30), pages 4729-4739.
    7. Gries, Thomas & Kraft, Manfred & Meierrieks, Daniel, 2009. "Linkages Between Financial Deepening, Trade Openness, and Economic Development: Causality Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 1849-1860, December.
    8. Schnabel, Isabel & Körner, Tobias, 2010. "Public Ownership of Banks and Economic Growth - The Role of Heterogeneity," CEPR Discussion Papers 8138, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Michael Bleaney & Håvard Halland, 2014. "Natural Resource Exports, Fiscal Policy Volatility and Growth," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 61(5), pages 502-522, November.
    10. David Warner & Prasada Rao & William E. Griffiths & Duangkamon Chotikapanich, 2011. "Global Inequality: Levels and Trends, 1993-2005," Discussion Papers Series 436, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    11. Petar Stankov, 2018. "Deregulation, Economic Growth and Growth Acceleration," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 43(4), pages 21-40, December.
    12. Andersen, Thomas Barnebeck & Dalgaard, Carl-Johan, 2013. "Power outages and economic growth in Africa," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 19-23.
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    Keywords

    Growth; Measurement;

    JEL classification:

    • C82 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Macroeconomic Data; Data Access
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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