The parameters in duration models are usually estimated by a Quasi Maximum Likelihood Estimator [QMLE]. This estimator is efficient if the errors are iid and exponentially distributed. Otherwise, it may not be the most efficient. Motivated by this, a class of estimators has been introduced by...

This paper proposes a semiparametric method for estimating duration models when there are inequality constraints on some parameters and the error distribution may be unknown. Thus, the setting considered here is particularly suitable for practical applications. The parameters in duration models...

In this paper we seek a robust methodology to measure the relative public spending efficiency of 19 OECD countries over the period 1980-2000. Based on the functional classification of government expenditure, we decompose total public spending into its separate accounts and we employ a...

A semiparametric method is studied for estimating the dependence parameter and the joint distribution of the error term in a class of multivariate time series models when the marginal distributions of the errors are unknown. This method is a natural extension of Genest et al. (1995a) for...

This paper investigates nonparametric estimation of density on [0,1]. The kernel estimator of density on [0,1] has been found to be sensitive to both bandwidth and kernel. This paper proposes a unified Bayesian framework for choosing both the bandwidth and kernel function. In a simulation study,...

This paper empirically examines the relationship between fiscal decentralization and public sector efficiency. A country-level dataset is used to measure public sector efficiency in delivering education and health services and the new indices are regressed on well-established decentralization...

This paper examines the relationship between the regulatory and supervision framework and the productivity of banks in 22 countries over the period 1999-2006. We follow a semi-parametric two-step approach that combines Malmquist index estimates with bootstrap regressions. The results indicate...

In this paper, we use a semi-parametric two-stage model to examine the effect of bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank efficiency. This method, proposed by Simar and Wilson (2007), relaxes several deficiencies of previous two-stage analyses, which regress...

The aim of this study is to provide a methodology for the joint estimation of efficiency and market power of individual banks. The proposed method utilizes the separate implications of the new empirical industrial organization and the stochastic frontier literatures and suggests identification...

The objective of this article is 2-fold. First, it provides an empirical assessment of the cost and profit stochastic frontiers based on a panel dataset of Greek commercial banks over the period 1993 to 2005. Second, on the basis of the same sample, it also compares the most widely used...