A space--time varying coefficient model: The equity of service accessibility

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel space--time varying coefficient model to analyze the equity of service accessibility across Georgia over 13 years, accounting for spatial, temporal, and socioeconomic factors.

Contribution

It develops an advanced statistical model incorporating space, time, and interaction effects, with an inference procedure for assessing coefficient shapes in spatial-temporal data.

Findings

Demonstrates demographic association patterns in financial service accessibility.

Provides a framework for assessing accessibility equity over large geographic areas.

Extends the model to multilevel responses with variability at different levels.

Abstract

Research in examining the equity of service accessibility has emerged as economic and social equity advocates recognized that where people live influences their opportunities for economic development, access to quality health care and political participation. In this research paper service accessibility equity is concerned with where and when services have been and are accessed by different groups of people, identified by location or underlying socioeconomic variables. Using new statistical methods for modeling spatial-temporal data, this paper estimates demographic association patterns to financial service accessibility varying over a large geographic area (Georgia) and over a period of 13 years. The underlying model is a space--time varying coefficient model including both separable space and time varying coefficients and space--time interaction terms. The model is extended to a multilevel response where the varying coefficients account for both the within- and between-variability. We introduce an inference procedure for assessing the shape of the varying regression coefficients using confidence bands.