This chapter re-examines the determinants of health care expenditure (HCE), using a panel of 32 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries from 1990 to 2012. In particular, a panel semiparametric technique (i.e., a partially linear model) is employed, with...

Measurement of diminishing or divergent cross section dispersion in a panel plays an important role in the assessment of convergence or divergence over time in key economic indicators. Econometric methods, known as weak σ -convergence tests, have recently been developed ( Kong, Phillips, & Sul,...