This paper sets out to develop an economic framework for ex post evaluations of agri-environmental schemes. We begin by developing a non-parametric model for estimating farm-level environmental efficiency scores. We then use this efficiency framework to devise a set of economic criteria for...

We reconsider the efficiency bound for the semi-parametric Mixed Proportional Hazard (MPH) model with parametric baseline hazard and regression function. This bound was first derived by Hahn (1994). One of his results is that if the baseline hazard is Weibull, the efficiency bound is singular,...

Elbers and Ridder (1982) identify the Mixed Proportional Hazard model by assuming that the heterogeneity has finite mean. Under this assumption, the information matrix of the MPH model may be singular. Moreover, the finite mean assumption cannot be tested. This paper proposes a new...

This paper examines the empirical analysis of treatment effects on duration outcomes from data that contain instrumental variation. We focus on social experiments in which an intention to treat is randomized and compliance may be imperfect. We distinguish between cases where the treatment starts...

We consider a nonparametric test for the null of seasonal unit roots in quarterly time series that builds on the RUR (records unit root) test by Aparicio, Escribano, and Sipols. We find that the test concept is more promising than a formalization of visual aids such as plots by quarter. In order...

We consider the problem of ex-ante forecasting conditional correlation patterns using ultra high frequency data. Flexible semiparametric predictors referring to the class of dynamic panel and dynamic factor models are adopted for daily forecasts. The parsimonious set up of our approach allows to...

Most dimension reduction methods based on nonparametric smoothing are highly sensitive to outliers and to data coming from heavy tailed distributions. We show that the recently proposed MAVE and OPG methods by Xia et al. (2002) allow us to make them robust in a relatively straightforward way...

A definition of selfinformative Bayes carriers or limits is given as a description of an approach to noninformative Bayes estimation in non- and semiparametric models. It takes the posterior w.r.t. a prior as a new prior and repeats this procedure again and again. A main objective of the paper...

This paper gives a selective review on the recent developments of nonparametric methods in continuous-time finance, particularly in the areas of nonparametric estimation of diffusion processes, nonparametric testing of parametric diffusion models, and nonparametric pricing of derivatives. For...