A.H. Studenmund-Using Econometrics Solution PDF
A.H. Studenmund-Using Econometrics Solution PDF
A.H. Studenmund-Using Econometrics Solution PDF
1-5. (a) The coefficients in the new equation are not the same as those estimated in the previous
equation because the sample is different. When the sample changes, so too can the estimated
coefficients. In particular, the constant term can change substantially between samples; in our
research for this exercise, for instance, we found one sample that had a negative intercept (and
a very steep slope).
(b) Equation 1.21 has the steeper slope (6.38 > 4.30) while Equation 1.24 has the greater intercept
(125.1 > 103.4). They intersect at 9.23 inches above 5 feet (162.3 pounds).
(c) Equation 1.24 misguesses by more than ten pounds on exactly the same three observations
that Equation 1.21 does, but the sum of the squared residuals is greater for Equation 1.24 than
for Equation 1.21. This is not a surprise, because the coefficients of Equation 1.21 were
calculated using these data.
(d) If it were our last day on the job, wed probably use an equation that wed calculate from both
equations by taking the mean, or by taking an average weighted by sample size, of the two.
1-7. (a) The estimated slope coefficient of 5.77 represents the change in the size of a house (in square
feet) given a one thousand dollar increase in the price of the house. The estimated intercept of
72.2 is the value of SIZE when PRICE equals zero; it includes the constant value of any
omitted variables, any measurement errors, and/or an incorrect functional form.
(b) No. All we have shown is that a statistical relationship exists between the price of a house and
its size.
(c) The new slope coefficient would be 0.00577 (5.77/1000), but nothing else would change.
1-9. (a) 101.40 is the estimated constant term, and it is an estimate of the bond price when the Federal
funds rate equals zero, but since zero is outside the normal range of observation, this
interpretation doesnt mean much (as is often the case). 4.78 is an estimate of the slope
coefficient, and it tells us by how much bond prices will change when the federal funds rate
increases by one unit (one percentage point). The sign of the estimated slope coefficient is as
expected; as interest rates rise, the price of existing bonds is expected to fall. We typically do
not develop hypotheses involving constant terms.
(b) See equation 1.17; the equation could have been equivalently stated as Yi = 101.40
4.78Xi + ei
(c) An error term is unobservable and shouldnt be included in an estimated equation from which
we actually calculate a Y. If the question is reworded to ask why a residual isnt included,
then the answer becomes the same as for part (b) above.
2 Studenmund Fifth Edition
(d) If the Federal funds rate increases by 1 percentage point, bond prices will fall by $4.78.
Possible criticisms are: (1) The appropriate interest rate to use when explaining the value of a
long-term asset is the long-term interest rate, not the short-term interest rate. (2) It seems
reasonable that there are more than just one relevant explanatory variable, and (3) Given how
responsive capital markets are to interest rate changes, it seems likely that a monthly (or even
more frequent) data set would provide more observations (and therefore a better fit) for the
same number of years.
1-11. (a) The error term is the theoretical, unobservable, difference between the true (population)
regression line and the observed point. The residual is the measured difference between the
observed point and the estimated regression line.
(b)
Yi 2 6 3 8 5 4
Xi 1 4 2 5 3 4
ei 0.20 0.24 0.12 0.92 0.56 1.76
,i 0.50 0.00 0.00 0.50 0.50 2.00
1-13. (a) Negative, because a high unemployment rate would imply that jobs are scarce; as a result,
employers would not need to advertise much, if at all, to attract applicants for a job opening.
Yes.
(b) While 97% of the variation of HWI around its mean can be explained by UR in this sample, it
seems possible that other variables might matter as well, especially over a longer time period.
When reviewing suggested additional independent variables, the key at this point is to make
sure that every variable (like the cost of help-wanted advertising or the efficiency of
networking alternatives to advertising) is time-series, not cross-sectional.
(c) Yes. The EViews estimates are = 364.0404 and = 46.39477.
0 1
2-3. (a) Because of Equation 2.5, 0 and 1 tend to compensate for each other in a two-variable
model. Thus if 1 is too high, then 0 is likely to be too low.
(b) There are only two possibilities:
i) 0 = 0 + 2 X2
ii) 2 = 0 (and therefore 0 = 0 )
2-5. (a) The squares are least in the sense that they are being minimized.
(b) If R = 0, then RSS = TSS, and ESS = 0. If R is calculated as ESS/TSS, then it cannot be
2 2
2
negative. If R is calculated as 1 RSS/TSS, however, then it can be negative if RSS > TSS,
which can happen if Y is a worse predictor of Y than Y (possible only with a non-OLS
estimator or if the constant term is omitted).
(c) We prefer Model T because it has estimated signs that meet expectations and also because it
includes an important variable (assuming that interest rates are nominal) that Model A omits.
2
A higher R does not automatically mean that an equation is preferred.
Answers to Odd-Numbered Exercises 3
2-7. (a) Even though the fit in Equation A is better, most researchers would prefer equation B because
the signs of the estimated coefficients are as would be expected. In addition, X4 is a
theoretically sound variable for a campus track, while X3 seems poorly specified because an
especially hot or cold day would discourage fitness runners.
(b) The coefficient of an independent variable tells us the impact of a one-unit increase in that
variable on the dependent variable holding constant the other explanatory variables in the
equation. If we change the other variables in the equation, were holding different variables
constant, and so the has a different meaning.
2-9. As the students will learn in Chapters 6 and 7, theres a lot more to specifying an equation than
maximizing R 2 .
2-11. (a) It might seem that the higher the percentage body fat, the higher the weight, holding constant
height, but muscle weighs more than fat, so its possible that a lean, highly muscled man
could weigh more than a less well-conditioned man of the same height.
(b) We prefer Equation 1.24 because we dont think F belongs in the equation on theoretical
grounds. The meaning of the coefficient of X changes in that F now is held constant.
(c) The fact that R 2 drops when the percentage body fat is introduced to the equation strengthens
our preference for 1.24.
(d) This is subtle, but since 0.28 times 12.0 equals 3.36, we have reason to believe that the impact
of bodyfat on weight (holding constant height) is very small indeed. That is, moving from
average bodyfat to no bodyfat would lower your weight by only 3.36 pounds.
3-7. Most students at this stage can exactly duplicate the Woodys results.
(d) Technically, C is not a dummy variable because it can take on three different values. Saunders
assumed (at least implicitly) that all levels of cloud cover between 0% and 20% have the same
impact on the Dow and also that all levels of cloud cover between 21% and 99% have the
same impact on the Dow. In addition, by using the same variable to represent both sunny and
cloudy days, he constrained the coefficient of sun and cloud to be equal.
(e) In our opinion, this particular equation does little to support Saunders conclusion. The poor
fit and the constrained specification combine to outweigh the significant coefficients of Rt1
and M.
4-7. (a) The estimated coefficient of C shows that (for this sample) a one percent increase in the
nonwhite labor force in the ith city adds 0.002 percentage points to the overall labor force
participation rate in that city, holding constant all the other independent variables in the
equation. The estimated coefficient of the dummy variable, D, shows that if a city is in the
South, the labor force participation rate will be 0.80 percentage points lower than in other
cities, holding constant the other explanatory variables in the equation.
(b) Perfect collinearity is virtually impossible in a cross-section like this one because no variable
is a perfect linear function of another; some are closely related, but none is a perfect linear
function.
(c) This does not imply that one of the estimates is biased. The estimates were taken from two
different samples and are quite likely to differ. In addition, the true value may have changed
between decades.
(d) Disagree. Beginners often confuse the constant term with the mean of the dependent variable.
While the estimated constant term shows the value of the dependent variable in the unlikely
case that all of the explanatory variables equal zero, it also includes the mean of the
observations of the error term as mentioned in question 3. part (b) above.
4-9. (a) This possibly could violate Assumption III, but its likely that the firm is so small that no
simultaneity is involved. Well cover simultaneous equations in Chapter 14.
(b) Holding constant the other independent variables, the store will sell 134.4 more frozen
yogurts per fortnight if it places an ad. If we ignore long-run effects, this means that the owner
should place the ad as long as the cost of the ad is less that the increase in profits brought
about by selling 134.4 more frozen yogurts.
(c) The result doesnt disprove the owners expectation. School is not in session during the prime
yogurt-eating summer months, so the variable might be picking up the summer time increases
demand for frozen yogurt from non-students.
(d) Answers will vary wildly, so perhaps its best just to make sure that all suggested variables
are time-series for two-week periods. For students who have read Chapters 14 only, the best
answer would be any variable that measures the existence of, prices of, or advertising of local
competition. Students who have read Chapter 6 might reasonably be expected to try to find a
variable whose expected omitted-variable bias on the coefficient of C is negative. Examples
include the number of rainy days in the period or the number of college students returning
home for vacation in the period.
6 Studenmund Fifth Edition
5-7. This is a concern for part (a) but not for parts (b) and (c). In part (a), 160 probably is the
coefficient we expect; after all, if our expectation was something else, why did we specify 160 in
the null? In parts (b) and (c), however, it seems unlikely that wed expect zero.
5-9. (a) For all three, H0: 0, HA: > 0, and the critical 5% one-sided t-value for 24 degrees of
freedom is 1.711. For LOT, we can reject H0 because +7.0 > 1.711 and +7.0 is positive. For
BED, we cannot reject H0 because +1.0 < 1.711 even though +1.0 is positive. For BEACH,
we can reject H0 because +10.0 > 1.711 and +10.0 is positive.
(b) H0: 0, HA: < 0, and the critical 10% one-sided t-value for 24 degrees of freedom is
1.318, so we reject H0 because 2.0 > 1.318 and 2.0 is negative.
(c) H0: = 0, HA: 0, and the critical 5% two-sided t-value for 24 degrees of freedom is
2.064, so we cannot reject H0 because 1.0 < 2.064. Note that we dont check the sign
because the test is two-sided and both signs are in the alternative hypothesis.
(d) The main problems are that the coefficients of BED and FIRE are insignificantly different
from zero.
(e) Given that we werent sure what sign to expect for the coefficient of FIRE, the insignificant
coefficient for BED is the most worrisome.
(f) Unless the students have read Chapter 6, this will be a difficult question for them to answer.
Its possible that the dataset is unrepresentative, or that theres an omitted variable causing
bias in the estimated coefficient of BED. Having said that, the most likely answer is that BED
is an irrelevant variable if LOT also is in the equation. Beach houses on large lots tend to have
more bedrooms than beach houses on small lots, so BED might be irrelevant if LOT is
included.
Coefficient: P M S T
Hypoth. Sign: + +
t-value: 5.8 6.3 1.0 3.3
tC = 1.671 reject reject do not reject
(5% one-sided reject
with 60 d.f.,
as close to 73 as Table B1 goes)
Answers to Odd-Numbered Exercises 7
(b) No. We still agree with the authors original expectations despite the contrary result.
(c) Keynes point is well taken; empirical results will indeed allow an econometrician to discover
a theoretical mistake now and then. Unfortunately, far too many beginning researchers use
this loophole to change expectations to get right signs without enough thinking or analysis.
(d) Holding all other included explanatory variables constant, an increase in winning percentage
of 150 points will increase revenues by $7,965,000 ($53.1 times 150 times 1000) and thus it
would be profitable for this team to hire a $4,000,000 free agent who can raise its winning
percentage to 500 from 350.
5-13. (a) All the expected signs for the coefficients are positive, so: H0: 0, HA: > 0. (Some
students will see the Wall Street Journal as a competitor and will hypothesize a negative
coefficient for J, but the authors intended the Journals circulation as a measure of what the
Posts circulation would have been without Watergate.)
(b) Coefficient: J S W
Hypoth. Sign: + + +
t-value: 14.27 6.07 1.31
tC = 1.717 reject reject do not
(5% one-sided reject
with 22 d.f.)
(c) Assuming that the specification is correct, Watergate had a positive but statistically
insignificant effect on the Posts circulation.
The problem with the coefficient of M is that it is significant in the unexpected direction, one
indicator of a possible omitted variable.
(b) The coefficient of M is unexpectedly negative, so were looking for a variable the omission of
which would cause negative bias in the estimate of M. We thus need a variable that is
negatively correlated with meat consumption with a positive expected coefficient or a variable
that is positively correlated with meat consumption with a negative expected coefficient.
8 Studenmund Fifth Edition
So:
Possible Expected Correlation Direction
Omitted Variable Sign of with M of Bias
+ + +
*
B
F + + +
+ + +
*
W
R +
H +
O +
*
indicates a weak expected sign or correlation.
(c) The only one of the above variables that seems likely to have caused any of the observed
negative bias in M is H, and that variable is a good proxy for the obvious omission of the
general level of quality of cardiac health care, so wed choose to add it. We wouldnt overly
penalize a student who chose to add another variable as long as the alternative was an annual
aggregate variable. (Students who add disaggregate variables would probably benefit from
some extra review sessions.)
6-7. Some students will come to the conclusion that sequential specification searches are perfectly
reasonable in business applications, and they need to be reminded of the biased estimated
coefficients generated by such searches.
6-9. (a) In a supply equation, the coefficient of price will have a positive expected sign because the
higher the price, holding all else constant, the more suppliers would be willing to produce.
(b) The price of inputs (such as labor, seeds, transporation, machinery, and fertilizer), the price of
a production substitute (a crop or product that could be produced instead of the crop or
product being modeled), and exogenous factors (like local growing conditions, local strikes
that dont have an impact on the price, etc.) are just a few examples of important variables in a
supply-side equation.
(c) Lag those independent variables that influence the production decision on a delayed basis. In
particular, lag them by the length of time it takes for that particular event to have an impact on
production. For example, if growers must make production decisions a year before the crop is
harvested, then price should be lagged one year, etc. If a product can be stored at a fairly low
cost, then such a lag might not be appropriate because producers could choose to wait until
prices rose before going to market.
(b) Almost any equation could potentially have an omitted variable, and this one is no exception.
In addition, L might be irrelevant. Finally, the coefficient of C seems far too large, suggesting
at least one omitted variable. C appears to be acting as a proxy for other luxury options or the
general quality of the car. (Some students will claim that they shouldnt be expected to know
that 5.8 is too large. Even students who dont know what cruise control is, however, should be
expected to know that $5,800 is too large a portion of a cars price to be a reasonable amount
to add to that price if the car has cruise control, whatever it is!)
(c) We prefer T. Using the four criteria:
Theory: Engine size seems a small component of car price, especially for sedans.
t-score: Ls coefficient is insignificant at the 5% level.
R2 : The overall fit adjusted for degrees of freedom does not change when L is dropped.
Bias: The other coefficients do not change significantly when L is dropped.
(d) The coefficient of L had a t-score of exactly 1.0, so dropping L will have no impact on R 2 . If
the t-score had been less than 1.0, dropping L would have increased R2 , and if the t-score had
been greater than 1.0, dropping L would have decreased R 2 .
6-13. This question is similar to Exercise 6-8 but since the answers to odd-numbered exercises are not in
the back of the text, 13 is more suitable for use on a problem set or exam.
(a) X1 = either dummy variable
X2 = either dummy variable
X3 = Parents educational background
X4 = Iowa Test score
(b) We have two variables for which we expect positive coefficients (Iowa score and Parents
education) and two positive estimated coefficients ( 3 and 4 ), so wed certainly expect X3
and X4 to be those two variables. In choosing between them, its fair to expect a more
significant coefficient for Iowa than for Parents. Next, we have two variables for which we
expect a zero coefficient (the dummies) and two estimated coefficients ( 1 and 2 ) that are
not significantly different from zero, so wed certainly expect X1 and X2 to be the dummies.
There is no evidence to allow us to distinguish which dummy is X1 and which is X2. (Students
who justify this answer by expecting negative signs for coefficients of the two dummies are
ignoring the presence of the Iowa test score variable in the equation that holds constant the
test-taking skills of the student.)
(c) Coefficient: D D PE IT
Hypoth. sign: 0 0 + +
t-value: 1.0 0.25 +2.0 +12.0
tC = 2.093 do not do not
(5% two-sided reject reject
with 19 d.f.)
tC = 1.729 reject reject
(5% one-sided
with 19 d.f.)
(d) As you can see, we used a one-sided test for those coefficients for which we had a specific
prior expectation but a two-sided test around zero for those coefficients for which we did not.
10 Studenmund Fifth Edition
6-15. (a) (i) The coefficient of CV is 0.19 with a SE ( ) of 0.23 and a t-score of 0.86. The R 2
is .773, and the rest of the equation is extremely similar to Equation 5.14 except that the
coefficient of CVN falls to 0.48 with a t-score of 1.86.
(ii) The coefficient of N is 0.00054 with a SE ( ) of 0.063 and a t-score of 0.0086. The
R 2 is .766, and the rest of the equation is identical (for all intents and purposes) to
Equation 5.10.
(b) Theory: P is a price ratio, and while its possible that a price ratio would be a function of the
size of a market or a country, its not at all obvious that either variable would add
anything since CVN is already in the equation.
t-score: Both t-scores are insignificant.
R2 : R 2 falls when either variable is added.
bias: None of the coefficients change at all when N is added, so it clearly is irrelevant. The
omission of CV does change the coefficient of CVN somewhat, making it likely that
CV is redundant since CVN is in the equation.
(c) Since CVN = f[CV/N], it would make little theoretical sense to include all three variables in
an equation, even though technically you dont violate Classical Assumption VI by doing so.
(d) Its good econometric practice to report all estimated equations in a research report, especially
those that were undertaken for specification choice or sensitivity analysis.
7-5. (a) For beginning econometrics students, its usually more interesting go back and read the
articles that started the controversy than to wade through the current literature. See, for
starters, A. W. Phillips, The Relation Between Unemployment and the Rate of Change of
Money Wage Rates in the United Kingdom, 18611957, Economica, Nov. 1958, pp. 283
299 and R. G. Lipsey, A Further Analysis, Economica, Feb. 1960, pp. 131. As indicated in
the text, our favorite analysis of the issue is Nancy Wulwicks Phillips Approximate
Regression, in Neil de Marchi and Christopher Gilbert (eds.) History and Methodology of
Econometrics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989), pp. 170188.
(b) A linear form, a double-log form, a polynomial form (with no 1U t term), and a semi-log
form all could have been used (with varying success).
(c) There is evidence that macropolicies and external shocks were shifting the short-run Phillips
curve upward and to the right during this period, causing a plotting of the annual
inflation/unemployment rates to appear to be positively sloped. While there is strong
theoretical support for a vertical long-run Phillips curve, students who let the data convince
them that a short-run Phillips curve was positively sloped during this time period are making
the same mistake that many Keynesians did for over a decade.
Answers to Odd-Numbered Exercises 11
7-7. (a) This question contains a hidden difficulty in that the sample size is purposely not given. D
students will give up, while C students will use an infinite sample size. B students will
state the lowest sample size at which each of the coefficients would be significantly different
from zero (listed below), and A students will look up the article in Econometrica and
discover that there were 125 cotton producers and 26 sugar producers, leading to the tCs and
hypothesis results listed below.
Coefficient: 1C 2C 1S 2S
Hypoth. sign: + + + +
t-value: 30.667 3.000 4.214 1.914
Lowest d.f. at
which signif. (5%) 1 2 2 7
5% tC given
actual d.f. 1.645 1.645 1.714 1.714
(So all four coefficients are significantly different from zero in the expected direction.)
(b) A double-log function seems quite appropriate.
(c) Since the equations are double-log, the elasticities are the coefficients themselves:
(d) The sum indicates whether or not returns to scale are constant, increasing or decreasing. In
this example, Cotton is experiencing increasing returns to scale while Sugar is experiencing
decreasing returns to scale.
7-9. (a) and both have positive hypothesized signs because as either L or K increases holding
the other constant, output should increase.
(b) H0: 0; HA: > 0; for both.
(c) Reject H0 if t-value > 1.708 and t-value is positive.
(d) L: t = 2.02; K: t = 5.86, so reject H0 for both.
(e) The relative prices of the two inputs need to be known.
7-11. (a) polynomial (second-degree, with a negative expected coefficient for age and a positive
expected coefficient for age squared)
(b) double-log (We would not quibble with those who chose a linear form to avoid the constant
elasticity properties of a double-log.)
(c) semilog (lnX)
(d) linear (All intercept dummies have a linear functional relationship with the dependent variable
by definition.)
(e) inverse (Most students will remember from the text that a U-shaped polynomial typically is
used to model a cost-curve and will want to apply it here. The problem is that the telephone
industry appears to be an industry in which costs continually decrease as size increases,
making an inverse our choice.)
12 Studenmund Fifth Edition
(b) As Primeaux puts it (on page 622 of his article), A duopoly firm of small size spends more
than a monopoly firm of the same size. However, as scale increases, eventually, the duopoly
firm spends less.
(c) Again, from page 622, There is no difference between monopoly and duopoly firms at zero
rates of growth in sales. However, as growth takes place, the duopoly firms engage in more
sales promotion activity.
(b) The insignificant t-scores of the coefficients of A and B could have been caused by omitted
variables, irrelevance, or multicollinearity (a good choice, since thats the topic of this
chapter). In particular, since most students graduate at about the same age, the collinearity
between A and B must be fairly spectacular (Stanford gave us no clues).
(c) Its probably a good idea, since the improvement in GPA caused by extra maturity may
eventually be offset by a worsening in GPA due to separation from an academic environment.
14 Studenmund Fifth Edition
(d) We believe in making just one change at a time to best be able to view the impact of the
change on the estimated regression. Thus, our first choice would be to drop either A or B
(wed prefer to drop A, but on theoretical grounds, not as a result of the unexpected sign).
Switching to a polynomial before dropping one of the redundant variables will only make
things worse, in our opinion.
(b) The functional form is semilog left or semilog (ln Y). Semilog left is an appropriate functional
form for an equation with salary as the dependent variable because salaries often increase in
percentage terms when an independent variable (like experience) increases by one unit.
(c) Theres a chance that an omitted variable is pulling down the coefficient of EMP. However,
its more likely that EMP and EXP are redundant (since they in essence measure the same
thing) and are causing multicollinearity.
(d) These results confirm our opinion that EMP and EXP are redundant.
(e) If we knew that this particular school district doesnt give credit for teaching experience
elsewhere, then it would make sense to drop EXP. Without that specific knowledge, however,
wed drop EMP because EXP includes EMP.
(f) Theory: The two variables are redundant
t-test: The coefficient of EMP is indeed insignificantly different from zero.
R2 : R 2 does indeed increase when EMP is dropped from the equation.
Bias: Students will have to work backwards to calculate the SE( )s, but if they do, theyll
find that the coefficient of EXP does indeed change by a standard error. This is
exactly what wed expect to happen when we drop a redundant variable from an
equation; the coefficient of the remaining redundant variable will adjust to pick up the
effect of both variables.
8-15. The ever-innovative Rao and Miller used this example (developed by Professor Maurice G.
Kendall) to show that the inspection of simple correlation coefficients is not an adequate test for
multicollinearity.
(a) Since R and L are obviously correlated but R and (L R) are not, many beginning students
will want to drop either R or L from Model A, but this would leave out the difference between
leg lengths that is the inherent causal variable.
(b) As Rao and Miller point out (on page 48 of their text), the implicit estimates of the
coefficients are identical because the conditions imposed on the residuals for estimation in
either case are implicitly the same. To calculate the coefficients of one model from the other,
multiply out the 2 term of Model B, reconfigure to correspond to Model A, and solve for the
coefficients of Model B: 0 = 0 , 1 = (1 2 ), and 2 = 2 .
Answers to Odd-Numbered Exercises 15
(c) Since the coefficient estimates are identical for every sample, their distributions must also be
identical, meaning that the two models are identically vulnerable to multicollearity.
(d) If you drop L from Model A, then the linkage between the Models cited in the answers above
is lost.
9-7. (a) dL = 1.49; DW = 0.81 < 1.49, so wed reject the null hypothesis of no positive serial
correlation.
(b) This is not necessarily a sign of pure serial correlation. Its reasonable to think that residuals
from the same country would have more in common than would residuals from other
countries (that is, the model could be consistently underestimating for France and
overestimating for Canada, producing six positive residuals followed by six negative
residuals). As a result, the DW for such pooled datasets will at times give indications of serial
correlation when it does not indeed exist. The appropriate measure is the Durbin-Watson d for
each country taken individually, since the order of the countries will influence the overall DW
statistic, and that order is arbitrary.
(c) If the serial correlation is impure, then a variable needs to be added to the equation to help
distinguish better between the countries. If the serial correlation is judged to be pure,
however, then generalized least squares might be applied one country at a time. It is possible
to specify different first-order serial correlation coefficients for each country and then
estimate one pooled regression equation.
9-9. (a) An outlier in the residuals can occur even if no outlier exists in the dataset if all the Xs are
very low (or very high) simultaneously, producing an unusually low or high Y. In such a
situation, Y would be dramatically lower (or higher) than Y.
(b) When an extreme outlier exists in the residuals, the Durbin-Watson test will not necessarily
produce an accurate measure of the existence of serial correlation because the outlier will give
the appearance of severe negative serial correlation. That is, there will be a large
(et et1) of one sign followed by a large (et et1) of the opposite sign, so the two large
squared terms will move the DW dramatically toward four. In such a circumstance, some
researchers will drop the outlier from the DW calculation (but not from the data set). A one-
time dummy equal to one in the observation with the outlier residual will solve this problem
by in essence setting the residual equal to zero; this is almost (but not quite) the same as
dropping the observation.
9-11 (a) As weve mentioned, we prefer a one-sided Durbin-Watson d test, so with K = 3 and N = 40,
the 5% critical values are dL = 1.34 and dU = 1.66. Since DW = 0.85 is less than DL, we can
reject the null hypothesis of no positive serial correlation.
16 Studenmund Fifth Edition
(b) Coefficient: L P W
Hypoth. sign: + + +
t-value: 0.04 2.6 3.0
tC 2.423 do not reject reject
(1% one-sided reject
with 40 closest to 36 in Table B-1 d.f.)
(c) The estimated coefficient of P looks reasonable in terms of size and significance, but the one
for L looks pathetically small. We would never expect such similar variables to have such
dramatically different coefficients. Many students will want to drop L, pointing out that the
Lakers almost always play well, so fans may not pay much attention to exactly how the
Lakers are doing at any given point. Wed guess that a long losing streak would show the true
relevance of this variable, however.
(d) Pure serial correlation is certainly a possibility, but the fact that some fans are most
interested in games played late in the season implies that an omitted variable with a temporal
pattern exists. Wed want to include such a variable before concluding that pure serial
correlation exists.
(e) We prefer dropping the first observation to including zeroes for L and P, but an even better
alternative might be to use last seasons winning percentages as proxies for this seasons for
opening day (or even a few games thereafter). While opening day might have always sold out
in the past, there is no guarantee that it always will be sold out in the future.
9-13. (a) This is a cross-sectional dataset and we normally wouldnt expect autocorrelation, but well
test anyway since thats what the question calls for. DL for a 5% one-sided, K = 3, test is
approximately 1.61, substantially higher than the DW of 0.50. (Sample sizes in Table B-4
only go up to 100, but the critical values at those sample sizes turn out to be reasonable
estimates of those at 200.) As a result, we can reject the null hypothesis of no positive serial
correlation, which in this case seems like evidence of impure serial correlation caused by an
omitted variable or an incorrect functional form.
(b) Coefficient: G D F
Hypoth. sign: + + ?
t-value: 3.5 7.0 2.5
tC = 1.645 reject reject reject
(5% one-sided
with infinite d.f.)
We certainly have impure serial correlation. In addition, some students will conclude that F
has a coefficient that is significant in the unexpected direction. (As it turns out, the negative
coefficient could have been anticipated because the dependent variable is in percentage terms
but F is in aggregate terms. Wed guess that the more food a pig eats, the bigger it is, meaning
that its chances of growing at a high rate are low, thus the negative sign.)
(c) The coefficient of D is significant in the expected direction, but given the problems with this
equation, wed be hesitant to conclude much of anything just yet.
(d) In this case, the accidental ordering was a lucky stroke (not a mistake), because it allowed us
to realize that younger pigs will gain weight at a higher rate than their older counterparts. If
the data are ordered by age, positive residuals will be clustered at one end of the data set,
while negative ones will be clustered at the other end, giving the appearance of serial
correlation.
Answers to Odd-Numbered Exercises 17
Coefficient: 1 2 3
Hypothesized sign: + + +
tC = 1.721, so: reject reject do not
reject
Coefficient: 1 2
Hypothesized sign: + +
tC = 1.717, so: reject reject
(b) The specification criteria now imply that SP is an irrelevant variable: R 2 increases slightly
when SP is added, but SPs coefficient is not significantly different from zero, and the other
coefficient estimates do not change more than one standard error when SP is added.
(c) For both equations, DW is far below the critical value for a 5% one-sided test, so we can
reject the null hypothesis of no positive serial correlation. (For the first equation, 0.70 < 1.12,
and for the second equation 0.59 < 1.21.)
(d) Once again, such a small improvement in the DW statistic is not evidence that the serial
correlation is impure.
(e) Since the SDL equations imply that SP is irrelevant, it makes sense to run GLS on the second
equation:
n = 2.12 + 0.094lnUSD + 0.914lnSY
1nSDL t t t
(0.058) (0.069)
t= 1.64 13.15
N = 24 (annual 19601984) R 2 = .994 = 0.61
18 Studenmund Fifth Edition
(b)
n
i ) = 29.54 2.34(lnI i ) R 2 = .39
2
1n(e
(0.94)
t = 2.49
COi /I i = 0 / I i + 1 + u i
n
COi /Ii = 2400.1/ Ii + 0.40 R 2 = .94
(0.14)
t = 2.77
Thus even with only one independent variable, weighted least squares does indeed make a
difference. Note that the relative magnitudes of the estimated coefficients have now
switched due to the WLS regression; 2400.1 in the WLS regression is comparable to
1273.2, not 0.72, in the OLS regression.
(d) It does not suggest anything should necessarily be done about it. Interestingly, there is another
potential cause of heteroskedasticity in this model. That is, the variables are means of ranges
of differing widths and different sample sizes. Thus it would seem reasonable to think that
each of these means might come from a distribution with a different variance, and some sort
of heteroskedasticity would be fairly likely.
R = .122, N = 33, so NR = 4.026 < 21.7 = the critical 1% Chi-square value with 9 d. f; so we
2 2
10-7.
cannot reject the null hypothesis of homoskedasticity. Thus both tests show evidence of
heteroskedasticity.
Answers to Odd-Numbered Exercises 19
10-9. (a) Multicollinearity and heteroskedasticity (but not positive serial correlation) appear to exist.
Wed tackle the multicollinearity first. Since the heteroskedasticity could be impure, you
should get the best specification you can before worrying about correcting for
heteroskedasticity.
(b) For all intents and purposes, the two equations are identical. Given that, and given the
reasonably strong t-score of STU, wed stick with Equation 10.29. Note that the ratio of the
FAC/STU coefficients is far more than 10/1 in Equation 10.29. This means that Equation
10.29 overemphasizes the importance of faculty, compared to Equation 10.30. (On second
thought, whats wrong with overemphasizing the importance of faculty?)
(c) Both methods show evidence of heteroskedasticity. For instance, if TOT = Z, the Park test t =
4.85 > 2.67, the critical t-value for a two-sided, 1 percent test with 57 degrees of freedom
(interpolating).
(d) We dont provide a t-score for the coefficient of (1/TOT) because that coefficient is an
estimate of the intercept of the original equation. (Note, however, that we do provide a t-score
for the constant of the WLS equation.) This is a good example of coefficient switching.
The pathetic fit is mainly due to the fact that the dependent variable in the WLS equation
(VOL/VOT) is significantly more difficult to predict than is VOL, where size alone can
explain most of the variation. In addition, it turns out that not one of the WLS variables in this
equation has any theoretical validity at all, making a bad situation even worse.
(e) There are many possible answers to this question. Using EViews, the easiest might be to
reformulate the equation, using SAT and STU/FAC (the student/faculty ratio) as proxies for
quality:
n
VOL/TOTi = 0.067 + 0.00011SATi 0.0045STU i /FACi
(0.00007) (0.0013)
t = 1.59 3.44
R = .19 N = 60
2
DW = 2.11
(b) We disagree, mainly because econometrics cannot prove that discrimination is the cause of
any differences in employment. Less importantly, we disagree that the nondiscriminatory
expected value of the coefficient of W is 1.00; for starters, a constant term and other variables
are in the equation.
(c) Heteroskedasticity seems reasonably unlikely, despite the cross-sectional nature of the dataset,
because the dependent variable is stated in per capita terms.
(d) The two-sided 1% critical t-value is approximately 2.64 (interpolating), so we cannot reject
the null hypothesis of homoskedasticity.
(e) The theory behind P or lnP seems quite weak (despite its significance). Our preference would
be to change P to a non-aggregate measure, for instance the percentage of the population that
is black in the ith city, or some measure of the unemployment benefits available in the ith city.
20 Studenmund Fifth Edition
The last two variables cause some difficulties for most students when hypothesizing signs.
Our opinion is that having more suburban newspapers should hurt metropolitan newspaper
circulation but that the number of television stations is a measure more of the size of a city
than of the competition a newspaper faces. By the way, we see Q as a proxy for quality and A
as an endogenous variable (note that the authors did indeed estimate the equation with 2SLS,
a technique beyond the scope of this chapter).
(b) Heteroskedasticity seems extremely likely, since larger cities will have larger newspaper
circulation, leading to larger error term variances. Using a two-sided 1% test, we can reject
the null hypothesis of homoskedasticity since 3.13 > 2.66, the critical t-value with 60 degrees
of freedom (closest to 48).
(c) Heteroskedasticity, multicollinearity, and omitted variables all seem likely.
(d) While its tempting to divide the equation through by population (or reformulate the equation
by making the dependent variable per capita circulation), this would dramatically lessen the
equations usefulness. Instead, we would attempt to improve the specification. Reasonable
answers would include attempting to reduce some of the multicollinearity (redundancy)
among the independent variables, trying to find a better measure of quality than the number of
editorial personnel or substituting the number of major metropolitan newspaper competitors
for S and T.
(d) A Park test with T as a proportionality factor produces a t-score of 0.45, providing no
2 2
evidence whatsoever of heteroskedasticity. A White test produces an R of .20, for an NR of
11.6, which indicates heteroskedasticity at the 5% level but not at the 1% level we typically
suggest for heteroskedasticity tests.
(e) A Park test with T as a proportionality factor produces a t-score of 0.99, once again providing
no evidence of heteroskedasticity.
(f) Our preference would be to reformulate the equation (perhaps after testing for
nonstationarity). We do not favor blindly using WLS in a time-series equation.
12-7. (a) Second-order serial correlation means that the current observation of the error term is a
function of the previous two observations of the error term.
(b) et = a0 + a1Xt + a2Yt1 + a3et1 + a4et2 + ut
There would be 2 degrees of freedom in the test because there are two restrictions in the null
hypothesis (a3 = a4 = 0).
(c) e t = 11.8 0.22At + 0.04St1 0.06et1 0.25et2
R = .066 N = 23 (19782000)
2
LM = N * R = 23 * 0.066 = 1.52 < 5.99, the 5% critical Chi-square value with 2 d.f., so we
2
12-11. (a) 2.01 > 3.22, so we cannot reject the null hypothesis of nonstationarity for Y.
(b) 0.72 > 3.22, so we cannot reject the null hypothesis of nonstationarity for r.
(c) 4.16 > 3.22, so we cannot reject the null hypothesis of nonstationarity for CO.
(d) 0.04 > 3.22, so we cannot reject the null hypothesis of nonstationarity for I.
All four variables appear to be nonstationary, at least at the 2.5% level. This is a bit surprising,
because interest rate variables often are stationary, and its not a coincidence that the interest rate
is the only variable to have a negative t-score.
22 Studenmund Fifth Edition
13-5. It wont take long for students to realize that with a logit, Di is never greater than 1 or less than 0.
13-7. (a) Its reasonable conclude that if Di = 2, then the logit computer program will balk at taking the
log of a negative number (2). As mentioned in the text, however, logit programs iterate using
Equation 13.7 (or a version thereof), so its possible that a software package could produce
some sort of estimates. (Weve never seen one, however.)
(b) With a linear probability model, the answer is unambiguous. The estimated coefficients of
WN and ME will double in size. If we divide each coefficient by two, the theoretical
meanings will be unchanged from the original model.
13-9. In all three models, we find evidence that A is an irrelevant variable. (Note that in the datafild
D = J)
(a) Di = 0.22 0.38Mi 0.001Ai + 0.09Si
(0.16) (0.007) (0.04)
t = 2.43 0.14 2.42
R = .29
2
N = 30 R 2 p = .81
n
(b) ln[D i /(1 Di )] = 5.27 2.61Mi 0.01Ai + 0.67Si
(1.20) (0.04) (0.32)
t= 2.17 0.25 2.10
R p = .76
2
n
(c) Z i = F (Pi ) = 3.05 1.45Mi 0.006Ai + 0.39Si
1
14-5. All these cases can be shown to involve a positive correlation between the ,s and the Ys.
14-11. Most reasonable models of the labor market are simultaneous and therefore potentially involve
simultaneity bias and should be estimated with 2SLS.
14-13. (a) OLS estimation will still encounter simultaneity bias because price and quantity are
simultaneously determined. Not all endogenous variables will appear on the left-hand side of
a structural equation.
(b) The direction of the bias depends on the correlation between the error term and the right-
hand-side endogenous variable. If the correlation between the error term and price is positive,
as it most likely is, then the simultaneity bias will also be positive.
(c) Three: stage one: P = f (YD, W)
stage two: QD = f ( P , YD) and QS = f ( P , W)
(d) OLS: QD = 57.3 0.86P + 1.03YD
Q S = 167.5 + 3.95P 1.42W
2SLS: QD = 95.1 6.11 P + 2.71YD
Q S = 480.2 + 13.5 P 5.50W
14-15. (a) All three variables are nonstationary. In Exercises 12-10 and 12-11, we showed that both COt
and Yt are nonstationary. If COt is nonstationary, then so too must be COt1. Since YDt and Yt
are highly correlated, its reasonable to think that if one is nonstationary then so too is the
other. As a test of this, a Dickey-Fuller test on YDt produces a t-score of 0.02 < 3.22 , the
critical value, so we cannot reject the null hypothesis. This is further evidence that YDt is
nonstationary.
(b) If we run a Dickey-Fuller test on the residuals, we get 2.8 > 2.048 , a 2.5% 1-sided 28 df
critical t value (which we use as an approximationsee the text). Thus we can reject the null
hypothesis of nonstationarity and conclude that the residuals are stationary. This implies that
Equation 14.31 is reasonably cointegrated.
(c) A lag model is more likely to be cointegrated dynamic model distributed because the lagged
values of the dependent variable that appear on the right hand side of the equation should
have the same degree of nonstationarity as the dependent variable.
(d) We agree with the majority of applied econometricians who think that the concept of
cointegration is unrelated to the estimation technique. As a result, we do not hesitate to
recommend the use of the Dickey-Fuller test when testing 2SLS residuals for cointegration.
There are those who disagree, however, by pointing out that nonstationarity in a truely
simultaneous system implies that a test for cointegration should go beyond testing the
residuals of just one of the equations in the system.
15-7. If the answers to Exercise 15-6 were calculated correctly, then calculating backwards will
indeed reproduce the original series.
16-5. Standardized scores: 1.9, 0.0, and 0.8, raw score: 90.
16-9. People who have visited France for pleasure more than once during the past two years are more
likely to have had good experiences than are people who visited France just once and then never
returned and/or people making their first visit to France.
16-11. The standard deviation is the square root of the variance, or 0.686, and the 95% two-sided tc with
34 degrees of freedom is approximately 2.03, so a 95% confidence interval is 6.19 +
( )
2.03 0.686 / 35 or 6.19 + 0.24. There is a 95% probability that a confidence internal
constructed in this fashion will include the true value of the mean prediction of the population, so:
(a) No. This says nothing about how accurate or inaccurate the forecasters are.
(b) No. If anything, we might estimate that approximately 95% of the forecasts are in an interval
equal to our estimate of the mean plus or minus 2 standard deviations of the individual
observations:
6.19 + 1.96 (0.686) or 6.19 + 1.34.
16-13. The calculated t-value = (13.333 11.2)/[5.499/ 12 ] = 1.344. Since a two-sided 5% critical t-
value is 2.201, we cannot reject the null hypothesis.
or a model of the number of tickets sold for a football game (T) as a function of the rank (1 = first
place) of the home team in the league standings (P) and the number of miles away the visiting
teams campus is (M):
Ti = f (Pi , Mi ) + ,i = 0 + 1Pi + 2 Mi + ,i
By the way, youre doing well if only a couple students expect a positive sign for the coefficient
of P!
(0.044)
t = 16.21
2
students ask why we bothered mentioning it at all. Our answer is that its important to know R in
its own right and that understanding R makes the advantages of R 2 more obvious.
2
Unfortunately, if you do a good enough job of presenting the benefits of R 2 then some students
will become curve-fitters for the rest of the semester. Its worthwhile to suggest to these true
believers that they reread (aloud with a friend, if they dare) the imaginary conversation on page
58 that points out the problems with relying on R 2 as the primary measure of the quality of a
regression.
Lecture Notes 29
This is a typical student effort at such an equation. Acres harvested is not tautologically related to
production (as acres planted might be if technology was constant during the sample), but it is
likely to be jointly determined with production. Still, a positive sign would be expected. The
price of cotton is lagged one time period because of the length of time it takes to switch crops; a
positive sign is expected. Soybeans can be planted on the same kinds of land on which cotton is
planted, and so a negative sign is expected. Finally, the price of cotton machinery (negative
expected sign) was unavailable, so the student instead chose the average price of all farm
machinery, leading to an ambiguous expected sign (since cotton is fairly labor intensive, an
increase in price in farm machinery might shift farmers into cotton production).
Based on this theory, the appropriate null and alternative hypotheses would be:
1: H0: 1 0, HA: 1 > 0
2: H0: 2 0, HA: 2 > 0
3: H0: 3 0, HA: 3 < 0
4: H0: 4 = 0, HA: 4 0
t k = k / SE( k )
The equation will be estimated for annual U.S. data from 1947 through 1972, so there will be
21 degrees of freedom. Given this, and given a 5 percent level of significance, the appropriate
decision rules and critical t-values (from Statistical Table B.1) are:
1: Reject H0 if | t1 | > 1.721 and if t1 > 0
2: Reject H0 if | t 2 | > 1.721 and if t 2 > 0
3: Reject H0 if | t 3 | < 1.721 and if t 3 < 0
4: Reject H0 if | t 4 | > 2.080
(these t-scores are computer-calculated and differ from those calculated by hand because of
rounding.)
t-tests of the first three coefficients are all one-sided tests, and in all three cases we can reject the
null hypothesis. This is because the calculated t-score is greater in absolute value than the critical
t-value and has the same sign as the alternative hypothesis for all three.
A t-test on the cofficient of M is appropriately a two-sided test, however. We cannot reject the
null hypothesis of no effect for this variable because the calculated t-score, 1.67, is not greater
than the critical t-value of 2.080.
32 Studenmund Fifth Edition
So wed expect dropping P from the equation to cause positive bias in N , and thats what
happens:
Yi = 84,439 148N i + 2.32I i
(1778) (0.66)
t = 0.84 3.50
N = 33 R = .258
2
Note that the coefficient of N has increased from 9075 (in Equation 3.5) to 1487, which is the
direction it would move if it had been positively biased by the omission of P.
34 Studenmund Fifth Edition
Theory - Perhaps Woodys patrons are so dedicated that they eat there no matter what else
is available?
t-test - The t-score is 0.84, insignificantly different from zero, indicating irrelevance.
R2 - R2 rises when N is dropped, indicating that it is irrelevant.
Bias - When N is dropped, the coefficient of I doesnt change at all, an indication that N
is irrelevant (or that P and N are uncorrelated).
Thus wed mistakenly come to the conclusion that N was irrelevant when in fact the problem was
being caused by the omitted variable P!
At any rate, for Appendix 6.7, a possible exam Question/exercise/example would be:
For practice with our additional specification criteria, return to the Woodys dataset, drop I from
the equation, and attempt to detect this specification error using:
(a) Ramseys RESET.
(b) Akaikes Information Criterion
(c) The Schwarz Criterion
Answer:
(a) Using the Y version of RESET, we obtain: F = [(6.13328 10 4.92506 10 )/3]/[(4.92506
4 9 9
10 )/26] = 19.14 > 2.99 = FC, the closest in the table to a 5% critical value with 3 and 26
9
degrees of freedom. We thus reject the null hypothesis that the coefficients of the added terms
are jointly equal zero and conclude that there is a specification error according to RESET.
(b) For Y = f (N, P, I) + AIC = 22.12
For Y = f(N, P) + AIC = 22.24
Thus the original specification (with I) has a lower AIC and is preferable according to that
criterion.
(c) For Y = f (N, P, I) + SC = 22.30
For Y = f (N, P) + SC = 22.37
Thus the original specification (with I) has a lower SC and is preferable according to that
criterion.
C = 0 + 1Q + 2Q2 + 3B + 4 B2 + 5QB +
The translog cost function allows the production of the item to exhibit increasing or decreasing
costs as production is increased, and it even lets different economies of scale exist over different
ranges of output. While the translog function in general is too complex to warrant detailed
consideration in class, it serves as an excellent example of the innovative ways in which various
functional forms can be combined to meet the requirements of complex economic theories. For
more, see Laurits R. Christensen and and William H. Greene, Economies of Scale in U.S.
Electrical Power Generation, Journal of Political Economy, August 1976, pp. 655676.
36 Studenmund Fifth Edition
We admit that CAs coefficient is absurdly insignificant, but we still think the variable belongs in
the equation.
Weve tried to set up the chapter so that it can be assigned in its entirety (in courses with a minimal stats
requirement) or assigned on a section-specific basise (for readers who need brushing up on particular
topics).
16-2. Sampling
This short section is so well-written and so universally applicable that we anticipate assigning it to
all of our students when we cover data collection in Chapter 11.
16-3. Estimation
Each of the following sample exams follows the same format. Question one consists of four identifications
from the chapters and one short application of the material. Question two asks the student did you read
the book? about one of the most important topics covered. Question three asks the student to apply the
materials of the chapters in a manner that parallels work already done, and question four attempts to see if
the student can apply skills learned in the chapters to a regression result that he or she has not seen before.
Questions from different sample exams can thus be combined to form tests that cover more chapters or
that are harder or easier than these are. Answers to the questions (typically just textbook page references)
follow each sample exam.
By the way, if your students seem especially nervous before a particular exam, you might relax them a bit
with the following actual quote from a mayonnaise jar: Keep cool but dont freeze.
2. Two of the most important econometric concepts to date have been the stochastic error term and
the residual. Carefully distinguish between these two concepts, being sure to:
(a) define both terms
(b) state how they are similar,
(c) state how they are different,
(d) give an example of an equation that contains a stochastic error term, and
(e) give an example of an equation that contains a residual.
3. A source of constant discussion among applied econometricians is the degree to which measures
of the overall fit of an estimated equation also measure the quality of that regression. To date, we
have introduced something like four different measures of overall fit, but the two most used are
R 2 and R 2 .
(a) Carefully distinguish between R 2 and R 2 .
(b) Of the two, which do you recommend typically using? Why?
(c) What drawbacks are there to the use of the measure you chose (as your answer to part (b)
above) as the primary determinant of the overall quality of a regression?
46 Studenmund Fifth Edition
4. Wed expect pork consumption to be the highest in the fourth quarter due to holidays, so the
expected signs of the dummy coefficients are negative. For part (c), the coefficients of P and YD
shouldnt change, but the others should, because the omitted condition is now the third quarter and
not the fourth quarter. Thus the expected signs of the coefficients of D1 and D2 are no longer
negative. (Some of the best students will note that the estimate of the coefficient of D2 will be
almost exactly zero.)
2. In Chapter Four, we discussed seven explicit assumptions about the properties of a regression
equation. These assumptions (or, more accurately, the first six of them) are usually referred to as
the Classical Assumptions.
(a) Carefully and accurately state the seven assumptions.
(b) State what each assumption actually means in real-world terms (be extremely brief).
3. One of the shortest but most important sections in the book is that on the Gauss-Markov Theorem.
(a) What is the Gauss-Markov Theorem?
(b) Carefully explain what the precise properties specified by the Gauss-Markov theorem mean
and why they are desireable for an equation.
(c) What could cause the Gauss-Markov Theorem to no longer hold? What should we do in such
a situation?
4. Consider the following regression equation for the United States (standard errors in parentheses):
Pt = 4.00 0.010PRPt + 0.030PRBt + 0.20YD t
(0.005) (0.020) (0.04)
R = .98
2
n = 29
where: Pt = per capita pounds of pork consumed in time period t
PRPt = the price of pork in time period t
PRBt = the price of beef in time period t
YDt = per capita disposable income in time period t
(a) Hypothesize signs and specify the appropriate null and alternative hypotheses for the
coefficients of each of these variables.
(b) State your decision rules and then test your hypotheses on the above results using the t-test at
a 5% level of significance.
(c) If you could add one variable to the regression, what variable would you add? Why?
Answers:
1. (a) See pages 128130.
(b) See pages 9798.
(c) See Section 5.1.2.
(d) See Section 5.2.3.
(e) t = 2.0, and the critical two-sided, 1 percent, 13 degree of freedom critical t-value is 3.012, so
we can not reject the null hypothesis.
For part (c), the two most important criteria are whether or not the suggested variable is a time
series variable for the U.S. and whether or not that variable can be measured. Tastes, for
example, are important but hard to measure.
3. There are at least two different possible approaches to the problem of building a model of the
costs of production of electric power.
I: Model I hypothesizes that per unit costs (C) as a function of the number of kilowatt-hours
produced (Q) continually and smoothly falls as production is increased, but it falls at a
decreasing rate.
II: Model II hypothesizes that per unit costs (C) decrease fairly steadily as production (Q)
increases, but costs decrease at a much faster rate for hydroelectric plants than for other kinds
of facilities.
Note: In the following question, you may want to change the absolute size of the coefficients,
depending on the size of your school, but remember to change the size of the standard errors
proportionally.
Sample Examinations 49
4. One your way to the cashiers office (to pay yet another dorm damage bill), you overhear U. R.
Accepted (the Dean of Admissions) having a violent argument with I. M. Smart (the Director of
the Computer Center) about an equation that Smart built to understand the number of applications
that the school received from high school seniors. In need of an outside opinion, they turn to you
to help them evaluate the following regression results (standard errors in parentheses):
where: Nt = the number of high school seniors who apply for admission in year t.
At = the number of people on the admission staff who visit high schools full time
spreading information about the school in year t.
Tt = dollars of tuition in year t.
Pt = the percent of the faculty in year t that had PhDs in year t.
2. See Section 6.1. Note in particular that biased estimates can at times be closer to the true than
unbiased ones and that the solution to omitted variable bias is not to simply include every
justifiable variable.
3. (a) A number of forms are possible, but a reciprocal form would be perhaps the most appropriate:
Ct = 0 + 1/Q t + t
(b) Such an hypothesis calls for the use of a slope dummy defined (for instance) as D = 1 if the
plant is hydroelectric and 0 otherwise. The resulting equation would be:
Ct = 0 + 1Q t + 2D t + 3Dt Q t + t
(c) R 2 is perfectly appropriate for comparing the overall fits of the two equations because the
number of independent variables changes but the functional form of the dependent variable
does not.
50 Studenmund Fifth Edition
4. (a)/(b) Coefficient 1 2 3
Expected Sign + +
t-score +2.0 +1.0 +0.5
Decision reject do not do not
reject reject
2. Carefully outline (be brief!) a description of the problem typically referred to as pure
heteroskedasticity.
(a) What is it?
(b) What are its consequences?
(c) How do you diagnose it?
(d) What do you do to get rid of it?
Sample Examinations 51
3. A model of the number of cars sold in the United States from 1980 through 2004 produced the
following results (standard errors in parentheses):
Ct = 3738 48.0Pt + 10.0Yt + 6.0At 360.0Rt
(12.0) (2.0) (2.0) (120.0)
R = .85
2
DW = 1.86 N = 25 (annual)
where: Ct = thousands of cars sold in year t
Pt = price index for domestic cars in year t
Yt = disposable income (billions of dollars) in year t
At = billions of dollars of auto industry advertising expenditures in year t
Rt = the interest rate in year t
(a) Hypothesize the expected signs of the coefficients and test the appropriate null hypotheses at
the 1 percent level.
(b) What econometric problems appear to be present in this equation? Why?
(c) Suppose you were now told that the simple correlation coefficients between P, A, and Y were
all between 0.88 and 0.94 and that a Park test with Y as Z produced a t-score of 0.50. Would
your answer to part (b) above change? Why or why not? How would it change?
(d) What suggestions would you have for another run of this regression?
4. In a study of the long-run and short-run demand for money, Chow estimated the following
demand equation (standard errors in parentheses) for the U.S. from 1947:1 through 1965:4:
Mt = 0.14 + 1.05Y*t 0.01Yt 0.75Rt
(0.15) (0.10) (0.05)
R = .996
2
DW = 0.88 N = 76 (quarterly)
Answers:
1. (a) See Section 9.1.2.
(b) See Section 8.1.1.
(c) See Section 8.3.2.
(d) See Section 9.4.1.
(e) The answer depends on whether you encourage your students to use one-sided or two-sided
tests. For a one-sided test, the correct answer is that we can reject the null hypothesis of
positive serial correlation. For a two-sided test, the correct answer is that the test is
inconclusive.
2. The best answer would be only slightly more detailed than the summary on pages 376377.
3. (a) Coefficient P Y A R
Expected Sign + +
Calculated t-score 4.0 5.0 3.0 3.0
Decision reject reject reject reject
(given a 1 percent critical t-score of 2.528) In addition, the DW = 1.86 is higher than the dU of
1.77, so there is no evidence of positive serial correlation.
(b) There may be theoretically sound variables that have been omitted, for instance some measure
of competition from foreign-made cars, but the results themselves give no indication of any
problems.
(c) These results are clear indications of multicollinearity but not of heteroskedasticity.
(d) Unless a theoretically sound variable can be added measuring competition, the regression
need not be changed at all.
4. (a) Coefficient Y* Y R
Expected Sign + +
Calculated t-score 7.0 0.1 15.0
Decision reject do not reject
reject
(given a 5 percent critical t-score of about 1.67) In addition, the DW = 0.88 is less than the dL
of 1.54, so we can reject the null hypothesis of no positive serial correlation.
(b) The poor significance of Y could have been caused by multicollinearity, an omitted
variable, or by an irrelevant variable (Y), and in addition, as mentioned above, we have serial
correlation.
(c) Of the three, only multicollinearity between Y* and Y could have caused the problem, since
serial correlation and heteroskedasticty would cause the t-scores to appear higher than they
actually should be.
(d) This is not an easy question, but we would not suggest dropping Y, nor would we consider
GLS right now. It turns out that making the equation a distributed lag by adding Mt1 to the
right-hand side switches the insignificance to Y* (and raises the DW, naturally) giving
another indication of multicollinearity. The best action right now would seem to be to review
the theory in search of an omitted variable and failing to find one, do nothing. This problem
was adapted from a source, Edward Tower, Econometrics Exams, Puzzles and Problems
(Durham, N.C.: Eno River Press, 1985) p. 167, that is just full of questions of a similar (or of
a more theoretical) nature.
Sample Examinations 53
2. Virtually all of Chapter 14 is spent discussing the violation of the assumption that the error term is
independent of the explanatory variables.
(a) Under what circumstances might that assumption be violated?
(b) What would the violation of that assumption be likely to cause?
(c) What general technique is used to rid the equation of this problem? Specifically, how does it
work?
3. Suppose youve been hired by your schools admissions department to help them decide whether
to change admissions procedures. You are given the files of all of the students in the last
graduating class (including those students who didnt graduate) and told to build a model to
explain why some admitted students graduate and others dont.
(a) Specify the functional form you would use in building such a model and carefully explain
why that form is appropriate.
(b) Specify the independent variables you would include in the equation and briefly explain how
they apply to the dependent variable in question.
(c) Carefully explain the meaning of the coefficient of your first independent variable.
4. You have been hired to forecast GDP (Y) for the Caribbean island of Tabasco. Tabasco has
domestic food (F) and shelter (S) industries, a tourist (T) industry, and an export (X) industry. All
tourists come from the United States, while the exports are split between Mexico and the U.S.
Investment is virtually zero, and government expenditures (G) can be considered to be
exogenously determined. Imports (I) are a function of GDP. Thus the structural equations for a
simultaneous model of the Tabascan economy would look something like:
Y=F+S+T+X+GI
F = fF (Y, ?)
S = fS (Y, ?)
T = fT (USGNP, ?)
X = fX (USGNP, MEXICOGNP, ?)
I = fI (Y, ?)
G = exogenous
(a) Develop a theory for Tabascos economy. Then choose which predetermined variables you
would like to add to the simultaneous system and specify to which of the five stochastic
structural equations (see question marks) you would like to add them. Explain your reasoning.
(b) Comment on the identification properties of each of the five stochastic equations in the system
you outlined in your answer to part a above.
54 Studenmund Fifth Edition
2. See Sections 14.2 and 14.3. This answer will also depend on whether or not Chapter 12 and/or
Section 14.6 have been assigned.
3. The appropriate functional form is the logit because of the problems with the linear probability
model outlined in Section 13.1.2. The key to choosing independent variables is the type of
variable suggested; some students will misunderstand the disaggregate nature of the variables
required by such a study and will suggest variables that are constant for all observations in the
dataset. Each coefficient tells the impact of a one-unit change in the independent variable in
question (holding constant all the other independent variables in the equation) on the log of the
odds that the person graduated.
4. OK, OK, we know this will be hard to grade, since each answer will be different depending on the
exact variables and equations added, but this question tends to work well. The student will be
forced to apply the identification, estimation, and forecasting techniques to a system of their own
choosing in much the same way they will have to in their work later on.
The key to the questions on estimation and forecasting have to do with the size and importance of
the feedback loops (as compared to exogenous factors in determining GDP). In this case, there is a
good chance that the most accurate forecast of Tabascos GDP would be based on a simplified
reduced-form equation that included only USGNP and MEXICOGNP as explanatory variables.
An Additional Interactive Regression Learning Exercise
In this final section, we present a demand for water interactive learning regression exercise. This
interactive exercise is intended to be used in class to give students experience with specification issues like
omitted variables, irrelevant variables, multicollinearity, and, possibly, serial correlation. Thus the best
time to use the exercise is sometime between Chapters Eight and Ten. A hoped-for byproduct is to make
the students more comfortable with interactive exercises in general.
One way to use this exercise in class is to introduce the topic, define all the available variables, encourage
class discussion of expected signs and significance, and then have the class pick their guess at a best
specification. After you put the estimated result on the board (or hand out copies of it), the class should
then test hypotheses, discuss probable econometric difficulties, and choose whether to change the
specification. While only 26 regression runs are provided here, instructors who wish to have more
available are encouraged to use the dataset and estimate them. Indeed, one way of handling this (or any
other) interactive exercise is to bring a PC to class and estimate the regressions after theyve been
specified.
Obviously, its vital to give feedback along the way, particularly since otherwise some students might get
the idea that we can estimate as many runs as we want. Even given this, we try hard to make the students
choose a course of action before we comment on it.
This model is an extension of the short example presented in Section 2.5. The goal is to build a model of
the demand for water in Los Angeles County as a function of population, rainfall and other variables. The
dependent variable is:
A few comments about the data are in order. Population data for Los Angeles county were unavailable for
the entire sample when the data were collected, so population in Glendale was used as a proxy. Second,
conservation efforts took place only during the last two years in the sample, so if conservation efforts have
an effect but with a lag, wed be forced to use a one-time dummy. Thus there are reasons to be
concerned that population and conservation are not accurately measured in the sample. The means,
standard deviations, and simple correlation coefficients of the variables, plus the raw data themselves, are
contained in tables on the next two pages.
56 Studenmund Fifth Edition
YEAR W POP T R PR Y
1 53.38500 108.700 63.6 26.21 0.23 9.5345
2 60.31100 110.780 64.6 9.46 0.22 10.7830
3 60.06400 113.340 64.9 11.99 0.22 11.9910
4 58.93900 114.790 63.7 11.94 0.23 13.0190
5 62.33000 115.780 64.8 16.00 0.22 14.2880
6 62.36100 117.110 65.7 9.54 0.23 15.4280
7 65.40900 118.260 67.1 21.13 0.25 15.8760
8 71.91400 118.380 67.3 5.58 0.25 17.3270
9 70.41700 119.440 65.7 8.18 0.26 18.0020
10 73.54900 121.880 65.3 4.83 0.26 18.8880
11 69.09300 123.120 62.3 18.79 0.27 20.3420
12 67.47900 126.770 65.1 8.38 0.26 21.5810
13 73.27700 129.830 63.2 7.93 0.26 22.9790
14 68.94700 132.440 64.3 13.69 0.26 24.2280
15 73.43700 135.790 66.0 20.44 0.26 26.0990
16 72.34000 137.050 66.5 22.00 0.28 27.9240
17 76.04400 137.270 66.2 16.58 0.30 29.9080
18 75.15500 137.920 65.4 27.47 0.34 32.4070
19 81.66400 132.660 66.1 7.77 0.37 34.0980
20 80.54400 132.750 65.1 12.32 0.39 34.3140
21 81.41800 133.110 66.5 6.54 0.43 37.1160
22 76.70700 132.700 65.0 17.45 0.44 39.1910
23 80.61500 136.510 65.3 16.69 0.47 43.7840
24 80.06200 138.010 63.0 10.70 0.51 47.8220
25 81.46700 139.260 65.2 11.01 0.60 53.3340
26 69.31500 133.920 65.9 14.97 0.75 59.2670
Note that the possible variables include a theoretically strong variable (R), a probable irrevelevant variable
(T), a possible irrelevant variable (CO), two important but basically redundant variables (POP and Y), and
a potentially weak (at least theoretically) variable (PR) that is also multicollinear with POP and Y. One of
the nicest attributes of this exercise is that when you make a specification change, most statistics (from
SEs to R 2 s) act the way they should; believe us, finding such examples is not easy. With respect to
serial correlation, all classes so far have ended up choosing as their final specification regression runs one
of #26, #25, #24, #11, or #8, of which only #26 has a DW below the critical dL value (#11 is on the
borderline). A GLS version of equation #26 appears as equation #27.
58 Studenmund Fifth Edition
Once the class has chosen its best specification, refer to the following key to find the number of the
regression run chosen. This interactive exercise has been used extensively in class, and the following
26 runs contain all the choices that have been chosen during that time, but there are a number of other
specifications that could also be chosen. If the class picks one of these, shift to the closest alternative.
Regression Run # 1
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
7.6 0.07 0.79 0.33 63.4 7.20 1.08 1.91 .84
SE 0.46 0.52 0.11 68.9 4.49 0.88
t 0.2 1.5 3.0 0.9 1.6 1.2
To drop POP see #2; to drop PR see #5; otherwise see key.
An Additional Interactive Regression Learning Exercise 59
Regression Run #2
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
15.0 0.80 0.32 73.5 6.92 1.21 1.89 .85
SE 0.51 0.10 20.9 3.98 0.17
t 1.6 3.2 3.5 1.7 6.99
To add POP see #1; to drop T see #8; otherwise see key.
Regression Run #3
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
46.0 0.18 0.35 52.6 6.90 0.92 1.64 .83
SE 0.47 0.11 70.6 4.62 0.90
t 0.4 3.1 0.7 1.5 1.0
To add T see #1; to drop POP see #8; otherwise see key.
Regression Run #4
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
54.0 0.45 0.99 132.0 5.44 2.01 1.27 .78
SE 0.50 0.61 76.4 5.24 0.97
t 0.9 1.6 1.7 1.0 2.07
To add R see #1; to drop POP see #19; otherwise see key.
Regression Run #5
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
39.0 0.47 0.74 0.36 9.63 0.28 2.10 .85
SE 0.14 0.52 0.10 3.62 0.13
t 3.3 1.4 3.5 2.7 2.2
To add PR see #1; to drop T see #11; otherwise see key.
Regression Run #6
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
51.0 0.24 0.75 0.31 128.0 1.78 1.38 .83
SE 0.43 0.54 0.11 57.9 0.80
t 0.5 1.4 2.7 2.2 2.2
To add CO see #1; to drop POP see #21; otherwise see key.
Regression Run #7
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
55.0 0.62 0.71 0.38 20.0 9.92 2.10 .84
SE 0.09 0.53 0.10 10.0 3.95
t 6.6 1.3 3.6 2.0 2.5
To add Y see #1; to drop T see #9; otherwise see key.
60 Studenmund Fifth Edition
Regression Run #8
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
68.0 0.33 78.4 6.14 1.26 1.58 .84
SE 0.10 21.5 4.09 0.18
t 3.2 3.7 1.5 7.1
To add POP see #3; to drop CO see #25; otherwise see key.
Regression Run #9
# INT POP T R PR CO Y DW R2
11.0 0.64 0.39 18.4 9.27 1.82 .83
SE 0.09 0.11 10.1 4.00
t 6.9 3.7 1.8 2.3
To add Y see #3; to drop PR see #22; otherwise see key.
# INT POP T R PR CO Y n
Rho R2
11.0 0.68 0.30 0.546 .81
SE 0.17 0.10
t 4.1 2.9