This paper extends the standard principal-agent model with moral hazard to allow for agents having reference- dependent preferences according to Köszegi and Rabin (2006, 2007). The main finding is that loss aversion leads to fairly simple contracts. In particular, when shifting the focus from...

We develop a simple model of labor market participation, human capital degradation, and re-training. We focus on how non-participation, as a distinct state from unemployment and employment, is determined by the welfare system in interaction with labor market conditions and personal...

We show that specific nonlinear time series models such as SETAR, LSTAR, ESTAR and Markov switching which are common in econometric practice can hardly be distinguished from long memory by standard methods such as the GPH estimator for the memory parameter or linearity tests either general or...

Does it make us unhappier when we compare our current consumption with that of the Joneses or our own past achievements? This paper tries an answer without recurring on interpersonal utility comparisons. It calibrates an economy under three different assumptions, non-comparing utility, and...

Household poverty is a powerful motive for child labor and working frequently comes at the expense of schooling for children. Accounting for these natural links we investigate whether and when there is an additional role for community norms and how the social evaluation of schooling evolves over...

In non-linear regression models, such as the probit model, coefficients cannot be interpreted as marginal effects. The marginal effects are usually non-linear combinations of all regressors and regression coefficients of the model. This paper derives the marginal effects in a probit model with a...

This paper proposes a new unit root test against a non-linear exponential smooth transition autoregressive (ESTAR) model. The new test is build upon the non-standard testing approach of Abadir and Distaso (2007) who introduce a class of modified statistics for testing joint hypotheses when one...

In this paper, we analyze the performance of call centers of financial service providers with two levels of support and a time-dependent overflow mechanism. Waiting calls from the front-office queue flow over to the back office, if a waiting-time limit is reached and at least one back-office...

This paper presents a new algorithm for the dynamic Multi-Level Capacitated Lot Sizing Problem with Setup Carry-Overs (MLCLSP-L). The MLCLSP-L is a big-bucket model that allows the production of any number of products within a period, but it incorporates partial sequencing of the production...