The importance of sample attrition in life cycle labor supply estimation

We examine the importance of possible nonrandom attrition to an econometric model of life cycle labor supply rising both a Wald test comparing attriters to nonattriters and variable addition rests based on formal models of attrition. Estimates rising the Panel Study of Income Dynamics show that nonrandom attrition is of little concern when estimating prime-age male labor supply because the effect of attrition is absorbed into fixed effects in labor supply. The wage measure and instrument set have much larger effects on the estimated labor supply function of prime-age men than how one adjusts for panel attrition.