A Practical Guide to Using Panel Data

Book excerpt: This timely, thoughtful book provides a clear introduction to using panel data in research. It describes the different types of panel datasets commonly used for empirical analysis, and how to use them for cross sectional, panel, and event history analysis. Longhi and Nandi then guide the reader through the data management and estimation process, including the interpretation of the results and the preparation of the final output tables. Using existing data sets and structured as hands-on exercises, each chapter engages with practical issues associated with using data in research. These include: Data cleaning Data preparation Computation of descriptive statistics Using sample weights Choosing and implementing the right estimator Interpreting results Preparing final output tables Graphical representation Written by experienced authors this exciting textbook provides the practical tools needed to use panel data in research.