In spatial econometrics, it is customary to specify a weighting matrix, the so-called W matrix. The decision is important because the choice of W matrix determines the rest of the analysis. However, the procedure is not well defined and, usually, reflects the priors of the user. In the paper, we...

Testing for the assumption of independence between spatial variables is an important first step in spatial conometrics. Usually the researchers use the bivariate generalization of the Moran’s statistic, specifying a spatial matrix a priori. This test is applicable only to detect linear...