Download full text
(934.5Kb)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-100783-8
Exports for your reference manager
Cross-national analyses require additional controls to account for the non-independence of nations
[journal article]
Abstract
Cross-national analyses test hypotheses about the drivers of variation in national outcomes. However, since nations are connected in various ways, such as via spatial proximity and shared cultural ancestry, cross-national analyses often violate assumptions of non-independence, inflating false positi... view more
Cross-national analyses test hypotheses about the drivers of variation in national outcomes. However, since nations are connected in various ways, such as via spatial proximity and shared cultural ancestry, cross-national analyses often violate assumptions of non-independence, inflating false positive rates. Here, we show that, despite being recognised as an important statistical pitfall for over 200 years, cross-national research in economics and psychology still does not sufficiently account for non-independence. In a review of the 100 highest-cited cross-national studies of economic development and values, we find that controls for non-independence are rare. When studies do control for non-independence, our simulations suggest that most commonly used methods are insufficient for reducing false positives in non-independent data. In reanalyses of twelve previous cross-national correlations, half of the estimates are compatible with no association after controlling for non-independence using global proximity matrices. We urge social scientists to sufficiently control for non-independence in cross-national research.... view less
Keywords
EVS; political independence; analysis; research; economy; psychologist; economic development (single enterprise)
Classification
Research Design
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 1-13
Journal
Nature Communications (2023)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41486-1
ISSN
2041-1723
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed