Data on income sources collected in panel surveys typically display a
concentration of transitions at the seam between waves of data
collection. This concentration is caused by constant wave response
(reporting receipt for ‘all’ or ‘none’ of the months in the reference
period) and wave under-reporting (reporting receipt in some but not
all relevant waves). The resulting ‘seam effect’ is likely to lead to
errors in estimated durations of benefit receipt, attenuation of the
estimated effects of explanatory factors on conditional exit
probabilities and biases in estimated duration dependence. Little is
however known about the nature of errors in histories from panel data,
or about their effect on estimates. This paper uses benefit histories
from survey reports and matched administrative records covering a
four-year period to assess the extent of bias in key estimates, such
as the distribution of spell lengths, their determinants and duration
dependence. The paper also evaluates the effectiveness of dependent
interviewing techniques, where information collected in a previous
interview is used to remind the respondent of sources reported
previously, or to verify that sources no longer reported have truly
ended, at reducing bias.
Presented by:
Annette Jaeckle (ISER)
Date & time:
November 22, 2006 1:00 pm - November 22, 2006 12:00 am
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