In applied historical research, geographic units often differ in level of aggregation across datasets. One solution is to use crosswalks that associate factors located within one geographic unit to another, based on their relative areas. We develop an alternative approach based on relative...

1. The classical linear regression model -- 2. Some important spatial definitions -- 3. Spatial linear regression models -- 4. Further topics in spatial econometrics -- 5. Alternative spatial model specifications in the era of Big Data -- 6. Conclusions: What’s next?.

Reliable local demographic schedules are in high demand, but small area problems pose a challenge to estimation. The literature has directed little attention to the opportunities created by increased availability of high-quality geo-coded data. We propose the use of empirical Bayes methods based...