Using Panel Data Techniques for Social Science Research: an Illustrative Case and Some Guidelines

• Gil García, José Ramón ^[1]
  1. [1] Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas

     Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas

     México

     
• Localización: CIENCIA ergo-sum, ISSN 1405-0269, Vol. 21, Nº. 3, 2014, págs. 203-216
• Idioma: español
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• Resumen

  • This paper shows the advantages of and describes the steps for applying panel data (PD) techniques in the context of social science research. We argue that researchers should better understand the opportunities and benefits of using PD techniques in social sciences, including a more robust and meaningful analysis of complex social phenomena. Using a longitudinal dataset of training subsidies for Michigan firms, this paper shows how to perform two varieties of statistical analysis using PD methods (fixed effects and random effects). The example is a case widely used in quantitative analysis courses in higher education programs in the United States and around the world. Pooled OLS, fixed effects, and random effects models are presented and discussed.