Re: [Gretl-users] issue defining a panel with sub-sample data
This whole thing needs some more investigation. I guess for consistency we
should either scrap the --balanced option or reactivate the balancing mode
that's now disabled. Whenever I try to think this issue through it makes my
head hurt, but I'll see what I can do...
Personal opinion: if a panel structure is in force, --balanced should be
implicit in smpl. Rationale: a panel dataset is a panel dataset. It simply
can't stop being a panel dataset because you are sub-sampling it. If you
really want it to be interpreted differently, then you have setobs for
that.
Disclaimer: I am not speaking now as a developer, but rather as a user who
had to spend quite some time adapting old scripts to the new regime. My
other self, however (the developer), explained to me why the new regime
was a good thing, so I remained quiet.
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Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti
Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali (DiSES)
Università Politecnica delle Marche
(formerly known as Università di Ancona)
r.lucchetti(a)univpm.it
http://www2.econ.univpm.it/servizi/hpp/lucchetti
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