We investigate business cycle dynamics for 26 countries, estimating a set of nonlinear models for real GDP where appropriate. We find a great deal of heterogeneity in the dynamics of real output growth across countries. At the same time, a common feature is the asymmetric response of real GDP to...

The dissertation studies a model of an economy which produces and exportsdurable goods. It analyzes the optimal monetary policy for such a country.Generally, monetary policy has a bigger economic effect on durable goods relative tonon-durable goods because durable goods can be stored and...

This dissertation consists of four essays which investigate efficiency analysis, especiallywhen non-discretionary inputs exist. A new approach of the multi-stage Data EnvelopmentAnalysis (DEA) for non-discretionary inputs, statistical inference discussions, andapplications are provided. In the...

In this dissertation I explain the relationship among inflation volatility, rationalbubbles, and asset prices. In addition, I investigate the transmission of asset prices andvolatility among countries.In the second chapter, which deals with the relationship between inflation volatilityand asset...

The dissertation consists of three essays. Chapter II examines the asymmetriceffects of monetary policy on stock prices by using an unobserved components modelwith Markov-switching. My results show that monetary policy has negative effects onstock prices, which is consistent with the most recent...

This dissertation investigates the sluggish adjustment process of dividendpayment in the stock market. First, I focus on the individual stocks. A casualinvestigation of observed dividends for individual stocks shows dividend adjustmentsare sluggish and discrete; this is not consistent with the...

The recent financial and economic turmoil driven by housing market has led the economists to refocus on the issue about monetary policy and asset price, especially housing price. In this dissertation I investigate the various relationships between monetary policy and asset prices in U.S. economy...

This dissertation contains three applications of time series in finance and macroeconomics. The first essay compares the cumulative returns for stocks and bonds atinvestment horizons from one to ten years by using a test for spatial dominance.Spatial dominance is a variation of stochastic...

This dissertation addresses the question of whether a monopolistic banking system can lead to a higher steady state level of capital stock. Specifically, this research analyzes the comparative advantage of a monopoly banking system. By doing that, it examines factors that contribute to the...