Econometric Convergence Test and Club Clustering Using Stata

Abstract

In this article, I introduce a new package with five commands to perform econometric convergence analysis and club clustering as proposed by Phillips and Sul (2007, Econometrica 75: 1771–1855). The logtreg command performs the log t regression test. The psecta command implements the clustering algorithm to identify convergence clubs. The scheckmerge command conducts the log t regression test for all pairs of adjacent clubs. The imergeclub command tries to iteratively merge adjacent clubs. The pfilter command extracts the trend and cyclical components of a time series of each individual in panel data. I provide an example from Phillips and Sul (2009, Journal of Applied Econometrics 24: 1153–1185) to illustrate the use of these commands. Additionally, I use Monte Carlo simulations to exemplify the effectiveness of the clustering algorithm.