This paper introduces the structural threshold regression model that allows for an endogeneous threshold variable as well as for endogenous regressors. This model provides a parsimonious way of modeling nonlinearities and has many potential applications in economics and .finance. Our framework...

This paper uses the 1998-99 Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS) data to examine the health-income relationship that underlies the absolute income hypothesis. To allow for nonlinearity and data heterogeneity, we use a partially linear semiparametric quantile regression model. Among...

We propose a partially adaptive estimator based on information theoretic maximum entropy estimates of the error distribution. The maximum entropy (maxent) densities have simple yet flexible functional forms to nest most of the mathematical distributions. Unlike the nonparametric fully adaptive...

We propose a new generalised rank-3 demand system which nests all known (and new) rank-3 and rank-2 demand systems derived from the Quadratic Logarithmic (QL) cost function. We investigate its statistical adequacy against commonly en-countered alternatives using U.K. household data.

We derive general distribution tests based on the method of Maximum Entropy density. The proposed tests are derived from maximizing the differential entropy subject to moment constraints. By exploiting the equivalence between the Maximum Entropy and Maximum Likelihood estimates of the general...

We examine wage-change distributions in Canadian union contracts for evidence of downward nominal wage rigidity. Its probability increases substantially during low-inflation periods. During such periods, we discern no reduction in the incidence of real wage cuts. However, their magnitude is...

We apply a smooth coefficient semiparametric model to a unique high frequency data set to examine the intertemporal pricing of personal computers.  Furthermore, we test (a) whether firms charge differential component prices for their top performance personal computers and (b) whether premium...

This paper extends the simple threshold regression framework of Hansen (2000) and Caner and Hansen (2004) to allow for endogeneity of the threshold variable. We develop a concentrated two-stage least squares (C2SLS) estimator of the threshold parameter that is based on an inverse Mills ratio...

The Eurovision Song Contest provides a setting where Europeans can express their sentiments about other countries without regard to political sensitivities. Analyzing voting data from the 25 contests between 1981-2005, we find strong evidence for the existence of clusters of countries that...