This paper evaluates the performance of alternative estimators of the gravity equation when zero trade flows result from economically-based data-generating processes with heteroscedastic residuals and potentially-omitted variables. In a standard Monte Carlo analysis, the paper finds that this...

Contrary to accepted belief, the standard Tobit maximum likelihood estimator produces inconsistent parameter estimates, when the constant censoring threshold c is non-zero and unknown. Unfortunately the recording of a zero rather than the actual censoring threshold value is typical of economic...

In this paper, we develop a new model of a static game of incomplete information with a large number of players. The model has two key distinguishing features. First, the strategies are subject to threshold effects, and can be interpreted as dependent censored random variables. Second, in...