Showing papers by "Giorgio Topa published in 2003"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate whether micro-credit programs such as the popular Grameen Bank reach the relatively poor and vulnerable in two Bangladeshi villages using a unique panel dataset with monthly consumption and income data for 229 households before they received loans.
333 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an empirical analysis of the endogenous formation of preferences, as well as cognitive and psychological traits, is presented, with existing data, showing empirically the distinct insuence of family and society at large in the determination of cultural traits.
Abstract: This paper discusses several issues concerning an empirical analysis of the endogenous formation of preferences, as well as cognitive and psychological traits. In particular we show by means of examples how, with existing data, it is possible to i) identify empirically the distinct insuence of family and society at large in the determination of cultural traits, and ii) disentangle genetic heritability from cultural and environmental factors determining cognitive and psychological traits.
46 citations
TL;DR: This paper considers the problem of estimating a local interaction model defined at the level of individual agents, in the absence of perfect information about agent locations in the relevant socio-economic space, and suggests a potential estimation strategy that can yield useful information about the likely range of parameters even when point identification fails.
Abstract: This paper considers the problem of estimating a local interaction model defined at the level of individual agents, in the absence of perfect information about agent locations in the relevant socio-economic space. We consider two types of data limitations: one in which individual locations are measured with error, the other in which location information is correct but only up to some spatial region (e.g., census tracts or zip codes). Our results indicate that the model parameters are not identified almost surely in the former situation, whereas identification is preserved in the latter. We also suggest a potential estimation strategy that can yield useful information about the likely range of parameters even when point identification fails. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
30 citations