This dissertation consists of three essays, first two of which consider a new estimation method of dynamic panel data models and the last one considers an application of these models. The first essay (Chapter 1) offers empirical likelihood (EL) estimation of dynamic panel data models, which...

This paper builds a model of R&D-based growth in which the discovery of higher-quality products is governedby sequential stochastic innovation contests. Incumbent firms producing state-of-the-art-quality productsexpend resources in activities to protect their rents; challengers raise claims to...

The topic of this thesis is the impact of scale effects onto labor productivity and its implications. Chapter one gives an overview of the economic literature on scale effects. It starts with reviewing early economic writings; summarizes the literature of the new trade theory, the new economic...

Our aim is to investigate whether the direct payments and rural development measures of theEU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) do make jobs in agriculture safer. We work with adynamic labour demand equation that is augmented by the full set of policy instruments of theCAP. It is estimated on...

This paper attempts to investigate trade potential for Australia using the augmented gravity models and cross section data of 50 countries. OLS has been used as an estimation technique for 2001 and 2005 data. The estimated coefficients from the gravity models are then used to predict Australia's...

The positive relationship between household income and child health is well documented in the child health literature but the precise mechanisms via which income generates better health and whether the income gradient is increasing in child age are not well understood. This paper presents new...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of an alternative ownership/control structure of corporate governance on firm performance. Specifically, we investigated the governance system of government linked companied (GLCs) in Malaysia. In this paper, we examine governance mechanism and...

We study the relationship between institutional ownership and firm performance in Finland. A systems approach is employed to investigate the potential two-way causality between firm performance and ownership structure. Three-stage least squares estimation technique is used to solve for the...

Non-R&D innovation is a common economic phenomenon, though R&D has been the centralfocus of policy making and scholarly research in the field of innovation. An analysis of the thirdEuropean Community Innovation Survey (CIS-3) results for 15 countries finds that almost halfof innovative European...

Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) have contributed significantly to the economic growth of Hong Kong and it is worth investigating how they prosper. This study was based on an examination of a sample of SMEs in the logistics industry operating during the economic crisis in Hong Kong. The...