Does giving cash to poor households raise what they spend on everyday needs? Using a simulated randomized experiment with 2,000 households in Stata, we compare several ways of estimating the effect and see that all of them recover the true gain of about 12 percent. It comes with an interactive app that runs in your web browser.
Does crime spill over from one neighborhood to the next? Using data on 49 neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, in Stata, we compare models in which crime, income and housing values in nearby areas also matter, and find that higher income lowers crime both in a neighborhood and next door. It comes with an interactive app that runs in your web browser.
Do cigarette prices in one state change how much people smoke in neighboring states? Using data on 46 American states from 1963 to 1992 in Stata, we model cross-border shopping and smoking habits, and find that ignoring neighbors understates how much prices matter. It comes with an interactive app that runs in your web browser.
Examine why countries follow different productivity paths and whether groups converge toward common outcomes. This book compares developed and developing economies through labor productivity, capital accumulation, and aggregate efficiency using a framework that identifies convergence clubs. A focused literature review, comparative evidence, and a Stata implementation tutorial help graduate students and researchers apply the approach to their own work.