Stata command to create duration variable with binary cross-sectional time series data
mkduration is a Stata command to generate a duration variable for duration/event history data where the data are xtset and in long format. In other words, given CSTS-style data for i units observed over t time periods, and where there is some dichotomous variable (where "1" indicates the instance of an event, and "0" indicates an absence):
| Unit | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2 | 5 | 0 |
mkduration will generate a duration variable:
| Unit | Time | Event | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
More information is available in the help file.
You can see more details in the Stata Journal article, or the ungated version.
If you use mkduration in your own work, I'd love it if you cited me:
- Philips, Andrew Q. 2020. "An easy way to create duration variables in binary cross-sectional time series data." The Stata Journal 20(4): 916-930.
The easiest way to install mkduration is by directly typing into Stata:
net install st0621
net get st0621
Alternatively, you can install mkduration directly from GitHub if you're connected to the internet:
capture ado uninstall mkduration
net install mkduration, from(https://github.com/andyphilips/mkduration/raw/master/src/)
Last, you can download the files from the source folder and either call directly to the .ado files or place them in your "ado/plus/" folder.
Version 1.0.4, April 27, 2020