Spatial econometrics: past and future 50 years

The term spatial econometrics was introduced by Jean Paelinck in 1974. Fifty years later, this special issue presents the most recent developments in the field, with a compilation of five papers presented at the 18th World Conference of the Spatial Econometric Association, held in Groningen, the Netherlands, in June 2024, together with five regular papers on spatial econometrics. The papers resulting from the conference focus on spatial data envelopment analysis, spatial duration models, spatial difference-in-difference (DID) models, dynamic spatial panel models with common factors, and three-dimensional spatial panel data models. The first regular paper evaluates search strategies for the type of spatial lags to include in a spatial econometric model, and the next four propose estimation techniques and/or specific models that have not been considered before.