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Longitudinal Analysis and the Scottish Economy. David Bell Scotecon University of Stirling. Key Issues in Scottish Economic Performance. Economic Growth Entrepreneurship Population Decline Skills Economic Inactivity
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Longitudinal Analysis and the Scottish Economy David Bell Scotecon University of Stirling
Key Issues in Scottish Economic Performance • Economic Growth • Entrepreneurship • Population Decline • Skills • Economic Inactivity • Widening role for economic analysis in policies under control of Scottish Parliament • Can longitudinal data enhance the evidence base for policy?
Longitudinal Data and the Scottish Economy • At present role is limited because …. • Relatively few longitudinal data sources • Scottish sample often small • Not much expertise in the use of such data
Key Longitudinal Datasets • Individual/Household Based • BHPS • Cohort Studies • NES • Census • But what about firms? • Futureskills Scotland Skills Surveys • IDBR
Don’t put all your eggs in the longitudinal basket! • Reliance on longitudinal data should be limited • Has some advantages • Controls for unobserved heterogeneity • Permits event modelling • But also disadvantages • More susceptible to measurement error • It does not answer the “evaluation problem” • Small samples may limit modelling approach and hence usefulness • The past not necessarily a good guide to the future
Use a Variety of Data Sources and Methods(in the Scottish context) • Reconciling different results from different datasets is a useful means of understanding the datasets • Replication in other datasets suggests results are more robust • As does confirmation by other methods
Two Examples • Public Sector Wages • Relative Returns to Education in Scotland and Rest of Great Britain
Public Sector Wages - The Context • Public sector pay accounts for the majority of spending under the Barnett formula • Pay plays an important role in attracting, retaining and motivating public sector staff • Public sector rewards influence private sector labour markets • Growing pressure for reform
The Public Sector Premium • Why do public sector employees earn more? • Compensating differentials • Efficiency wages • Bargaining structures
The Public Sector Premium in Great Britain Source: Labour Force Survey
“Explained” and “Unexplained” Components of the Public-Sector Premium • Differences in mean pay may simply reflect differences in skill levels, education, experience etc. • Use regression to “net out” these effects – these are the “explained” components of the public sector premium • What remains is the “unexplained” component
Explained and Unexplained Components of Public Sector Premium Source: Labour Force Survey
Does the Premium Vary by Location in the Wage Distribution? Source: Labour Force Survey
But What About Individual Experiences in Moving Between Sectors? • Model based on Holtz-Eakin & Rosen analysis of the impact of self employment on earnings
Moving between sectors(compared with staying in the private sector) Source: New Earnings Survey
Moving between sectors(compared with staying in the private sector) Source: New Earnings Survey
Moving between sectors(compared with staying in the private sector) Source: New Earnings Survey
Returns to Qualifications • Are the returns to Scottish qualifications different from returns to English qualifications? • Does the Scottish educations system as a whole perform better than the English system? • Sources: Labour Force Survey, NCDS
Other controls, gender tenure tenure2, age left education, Industry, marital status, number of children, size of workforce, year dummies
Using NCDS to Estimate Returns to Education • Not a large enough sample to construct separate Scottish estimates • Not many movements between Scotland and England to separate out labour market from qualification effects • But much better controls for ability and family background etc. • Dummy for whether educated in Scotland or not is insignificant
Conclusions • Longitudinal analysis can aid our understanding of key processes in the Scottish economy • Absence of longitudinal data on firms is an important omission • Relevant sample sizes tend to be small • Can play a useful supporting role.