Purchasing power parity for ASEAN-8 countries: panel SURKSS tests

Abstract

This study applies panel SURKSS tests, proposed by Wu and Lee (2009), to investigate the properties of long-run Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) in a sample of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-8 countries over the period January 1999 to June 2008. The empirical results from several panel-based unit root tests indicate that PPP does not hold for the ASEAN-8 countries under study; however, panel SURKSS tests indicate that PPP is valid for two (four) of these ASEAN-8 countries when the US dollar (the Japanese yen) is used as a base country. These results have important policy implications for these ASEAN-8 countries under study.