My Research Interests
I am interested in three major areas of empirical research:  (1) the measurement of well-being, poverty, discrimination and economic inequality; (2) the estimation of consumer demand; (3) semi-parametric and non-parametric econometrics.  These three strands of research dovetail nicely with my overall agenda of trying to make life better for poor people by better documenting the trials they face in economic life.  My life-goals are sort of "old lefty": help the poor, redistribute income, create a society where everyone has the chance to be happy.

My Administrative Work
I was Co-Director of Metropolis British Columbia (MBC), Center of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Diversity from 2007 to 2013. It was an interdisciplinary policy research center which connected approximately 100 academic researchers with more than 100 policy-interested people in government and NGO communities. We engaged in the support of research, training and dissemination of knowledge with total funding of $500,000 per year from the 9 Federal Departments, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development of British Columbia, and our host universities, SFU and UBC. Have a look at our website , which is now permanently hosted by UBC.

I served as Vice President of the Simon Fraser University Faculty Association during 2017-2019. I served on the Bargaining Team for SFUFA from 2019-2021.

Muppet News Flash: There is no news today.

11 October 2019, Op-Ed on Poverty in Canada

Available Now! A Teacher's Guide on Homelessness

This is a resource for Senior High School teachers, tailored to BC curricula, complete with unit plans and supporting information, and available for free download.

Download the Flyer to see more details!

Go to my Homelessness page to download the teaching resource in full!

My Graduate Students
Mykyhaylo Salnykov (2008); Cheryl Fu (2008); Ben Harris (2013); Nick Dadson (2014); Coreneliu Bolbocean (2016); Xiaolin Sun (2022); Shirleen Manzur (2023)

ECON 104

BUEC 333

ECON 836

ECON 913

Carpenter CS, Feir DL, Pendakur K, Warman C. 2024. Nonbinary Gender Identities and Earnings: Evidence from a National Census, NBER Working Paper 33075.

Manzur, Shirleen and Krishna Pendakur. 2024. Labeling vs Targeting: How did the Canada Child Benefit affect household bargaining and preferences?. Unpublished working paper.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur. 2024. Off-Colour: Canada's Ethnically Stratified Labour Market 1995-2020. Unpublished working paper.

Hsieh, Jeff, Arthur Lewbel and Krishna Pendakur. 2024. Economies of Scale to Consumption in Collective Households. Unpublished working paper.
Publications

Jacks, David, Krishna Pendakur and Hitoshi Shigeoka, 2024, Later-life Mortality and the Repeal of Federal Prohibition, NBER Working Paper 31451 and Journal of Public Economics 238, p.105192.

Lewbel, Arthur and Krishna Pendakur, 2023, "Estimating A Model of Inefficient Cooperation and Consumption in Collective Households", forthcoming, Review of the Economics of the Household.

Jacks, David, Krishna Pendakur and Hitoshi Shigeoka, 2022, "Urban mortality and the repeal of federal prohibition"", forthcoming, Explorations in Economic History.

Botosaru, Irene, Chris Muris and Krishna Pendakur, 2022, "Intertemporal Collective Household Models: Identification in Short Panels with Unobserved Heterogeneity in Resource Shares"", Journal of Econometrics.

Lewbel, Arthur, Sam Norris, Krishna Pendakur and Xi Qu, 2021, "Keeping up with peers in India: A new social interactions model of perceived needs", forthcoming, Quantitative Economics.

Lewbel, Arthur and Krishna Pendakur, 2019, "Inefficient Collective Households: Cooperation and Consumption", forthcoming, Economic Journal.

Lechene, Valerie, Krishna Pendakur and Alexander Wolf, 2021, "OLS Estimation of the Intra-Household Distribution of Consumption", forthcoming, Journal of Political Economy.

Najjarrezaparast, Paniz and Krishna Pendakur, 2021, How did the Canada Child Benefit affect household spending?, forthcoming, Canadian Public Policy.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur, 2021, The Impact of Self government, Comprehensive Land Claims and Opt-in Arrangements on Income Inequality in Indigenous Communities in Canada, forthcoming, Canadian Public Policy.

Jacks, David, Krishna Pendakur and Hitoshi Shigeoka, 2020, "Infant Mortality and the Repeal of Federal Prohibition", forthcoming, Economic Journal. Also available as NBER Working Paper 23372.

Dunbar, Geoffrey, Arthur Lewbel, and Krishna Pendakur, 2019, "Identification of Random Resource Shares in Collective Households Without Preference Similarity Restrictions", forthcoming, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics.

Vigo, D.V., Kestel, D., Pendakur, K., Thornicroft, G. and Atun, R., 2019. "Disease burden and government spending on mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, and self-harm: cross-sectional, ecological study of health system response in the Americas". The Lancet Public Health, 4(2), pp.e89-e96.

Arthur Lewbel and Krishna Pendakur, 2017, "Unobserved Preference Heterogeneity in Demand Using Generalized Random Coefficients", Journal of Political Economy, 125.4 (2017): 1100-1148.

Krishna Pendakur and Ravi Pendakur, 2017, "The Effects of Modern Treaties and Opt-In Legislation on Household Incomes in Aboriginal Communities", Social Indicators Research, forthcoming.

Krishna Pendakur, 2017, "Welfare Analysis When People Are Different", Canadian Journal of Economics, forthcoming.

Krishna Pendakur and Ravi Pendakur, 2016, "Child Immigrants in Canada", International Migration, 54(5): pp 43-58.

Sam Norris and Krishna Pendakur, 2015, "Consumption Inequality" in Fortin et al (Eds), Inequality: The Canadian Story, Toronto ON: Institute for Research on Public Policy.

Sam Norris and Krishna Pendakur, 2015, "Consumption Inequality in Canada 1997-2009", Canadian Journal of Economics, forthcoming.

Krishna Pendakur, Ravi Pendakur and Pieter Bevalander, 2015, Are Residential and Workplace Concentratio n Correlated for Immigrants?, Journal of International Migration and Integration, forthcoming.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur, 2015, "The Colour of Money Redux", forthcoming in Li and Teixiera (eds), Economic and Housing Experience of Immigrants, McGill Queens University Press.

and slides.

Sam Norris and Krishna Pendakur, 2015.  "Imputing Rent in Consumption Measures, with an Application to Poverty in Canada, 1997-2009", forthcoming, Canadian Journal of Economics, 48(2) (May 2015).

Javdani, Mohsen and Krishna Pendakur, 2014, "Fiscal Effects of Immigrants", Journal of International Migration and Integration, November 2014, Volume 15, Issue 4, pp 777-797.

Menon, Martina, Krishna Pendakur and Federico Perali, 2012, "On the Expenditure-Dependence of Resource Shares", Economics Letters 117 (2012), pp. 739-742.

Crawford, Ian and Krishna Pendakur, 2013.  "How Many Types Are There?", Economic Journal, Volume 123, Issue 567, pages 77-95.

Dunbar, Geoffrey, Arthur Lewbel and Krishna Pendakur, 2013  "Children's Resources in Collective Households : Identification, Estimation and an Application to Child Poverty in Malawi" , American Economic Review, 103.1 (2013): 438-471..

online appendix

slides

newer slides

Donaldson, David and Krishna Pendakur, 2012  "Index Number Tests and the Common-Scaling Cost of Living Index, Social Choice and Welfare, March 2012, Volume 38, Issue 3, pp 407-429.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur; 2011.  "Aboriginal Incomes in Canada 1995-2005", Canadian Public Policy, 37(1) pp 61-83.

paper in older pdf format

slides.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur; 2011.  "Colour by Numbers: Minority Earnings", Journal of International Migration and Integration, August 2011, Volume 12, Issue 3, pp 305-329 .

Pendakur, Krishna, Michael Scholz and Stefan Sperlich, 2010, Semiparametric Indirect Utility and Consumer Demand", Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, Volume 54, Issue 11, 1 November 2010, Pages 2763-2775.

Crossley, Thomas F. and Krishna Pendakur, 2010,  "The Common-Scaling Social Cost of Living Index", Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, October 1, 2010, 28(4): 523-538.

Haag, Berthold, Stefan Hoderlein and Krishna Pendakur, 2009, "Testing and Imposing Slutsky Symmetry in Nonparametric Demand Systems", Journal of Econometrics 153 (2009) pp. 33-50.

Pendakur, Krishna, 2009, "EASI Made Easier", in Quantifying Consumer Preferences, (Contributions in Economic Analysis Series), edited by D. Slottje, London: Emerald Group Publishing, pp 179-206.

Lewbel, Arthur and Krishna Pendakur, 2009, "Tricks with Hicks: The EASI Demand System.", American Economic Review, 99(3): 827-63.

Code to Estimate the EASI demand system:

New: Stata code to estimate EASI demand system with less than 100 parameters via GMM. Or, Stata code to estimate EASI demand system with any number of parameters via GMM moment evaluator.

Stata code to estimate EASI demand system with no interactions via iterated 3 stage least squares. Stata code to estimate EASI demand system with interactions via iterated 3 stage least squares.

EASI is now an official R package! It is documented at EASI package.

There are two ways to install EASI in R:

1) Within R, use the "Package Manager" in the pull-down menus, or, "easier" yet,

2) simply type: install.packages("easi") at the prompt.

Jacks, David and Krishna Pendakur, 2010, "Global Trade and the Maritime Transport Revolution", Review of Economics and Statistics, November 2010, Vol. 92, No. 4, Pages 745-755.

Pendakur, Krishna, Ravi Pendakur and Simon Woodcock; 2008.  "A Representation Index: Measuring the Representation of Minorities in Income Distributions", Berkeley Electronic Journal for Economic Analysis and Policy: ADVANCES

Stata code to estimate representation index. Stata code to estimate severity index.

Pendakur, Krishna and Stefan Sperlich, 2010, Semiparametric Estimation of Demand Systems in Real Expenditure", Journal of Applied Econometrics, Volume 25, Issue 3, pages 420.457, April/May 2010.

Lewbel, Arthur and Krishna Pendakur, 2008, "Estimation of Collective Household Models with Engel Curves", Journal of Econometrics, Dec. 2008, 147, 350-358.

Pendakur, Krishna and Simon Woodcock, 2010 "Glass Ceilings or Glass Doors: Wage Disparity Within and Between Firms", Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, Jan 2010, Vol. 28, No. 1: pp. 181-189..

Supplementary Tables.

Lewbel, Arthur and Krishna Pendakur, 2007 "New Palgrave (2nd Edition) entry on Equivalence Scales".

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur, 2007, "Colour My World", reprinted in "Interrrogating Race and Racism", Vijay Agnew (ed), University of Toronto Press, forthcoming.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur; 2007.  "Minority Earnings Disparity Across the Distribution", forthcoming, Canadian Public Policy

Allen, Douglas W., Krishna Pendakur and Wing Suen.  2006.  "No-Fault Divorce and the Compression of Marriage Ages", Economic Inquiry, Vol 44, No 3.

Donaldson, David and Krishna Pendakur, 2006, "The Identification of Fixed Costs From Consumer Behaviour", Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 24(3) pp 255-265.

Donaldson, David and Krishna Pendakur.  2005.  Children's Goods and Expenditure-Dependent Equivalence Scales, Journal of Public Economics .

Pendakur, Krishna.  2005.  "Semiparametric Estimation of Lifetime Child Costs". Journal of Applied Econometrics, Vol. 20, No. 4, 2005, pp. 487-507.

Crossley, Thomas and Krishna Pendakur.  2003.  "Consumption Inequality". in Green, David (ed) Dimensions of Inequality in Canada, forthcoming.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur.  2002.  "Colour My World: Has the Minority-Majority Earnings Gaps Changed Over Time?" Canadian Public Policy December 2002, 28(4), pages 489-512.

Donaldson, David and Krishna Pendakur.  2004.  Equivalent Expenditure Functions and Expenditure-Dependent Equivalence Scales, Journal of Public Economics, 88(1-2) pp 175-208.

Pendakur, Krishna.  2001.  "Consumption Poverty in Canada 1969 to 1998", Canadian Public Policy, June 2001, 27(2) pages 125-149.

Pendakur, Krishna.  2001.  "Taking Prices Seriously in the Measurement of Inequality", Journal of Public Economics, October 2002, 86(1), pp47-69..

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur.  2002.  "Speaking in Tongues: Language Knowledge as Human Capital and Ethnicity" International Migration Review, Spring 2002, 36 (1), 147-178.

Pendakur, Krishna.  1999.  "Estimates and Tests of Base-Independent Equivalence Scales", Journal of Econometrics 88(1), pp 1-40.

Blundell, Richard, Alan Duncan and Krishna Pendakur.  1998.  "Semiparametric Estimation of Consumer Demand", Journal of Applied Econometrics 13, pp 435-461.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur.  1998.  The Colour of Money: Earnings Differentials Across Ethnic Groups in Canada , Canadian Journal of Economics 31(3), pp 518-548.

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur.  1998.  Speak and Ye Shall Receive: Language Knowledge as Human Capital, in Economic Approaches to Language and Bilingualism (ed)
Albert Breton, Ottawa, Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada.

Pendakur, Krishna.  1998.  Changes in Canadian Family Income and Family Consumption Inequality Between 1978 and 1992, Review of Income and Wealth 44(2), pp 259-283.

Barrett, Garry and Krishna Pendakur.  1995.  Asymptotic Distributions for the Generalised Gini Family of Inequality and Welfare Indices, Canadian Journal of Economics 28(4b), pp 1043-
1055.
Additional Papers

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur, 2015, "An Analysis of the Socio-Economic Outcomes of Aboriginal Peoples Living in Communities Associated with Self-Government Agreements, 1991-2011".

Pendakur, Krishna, 2005,  "Visible Minorities in Canada's Workplaces".

Pendakur, Krishna, 2005,  "Visible Minorities and Aboriginals in Vancouver's Labour Market".

Pendakur, Krishna and Ravi Pendakur; 2005.  "Ethnic Identity and the Labour Market".

Eaton, B. Curtis, Krishna Pendakur and Clyde Reed.  2006. "Socializing, Shared Experience and Popular Culture".