Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) is widely applied in econometrics. In most cases, there is a vast array of population moments upon which to base estimation and so the researcher must decide which moments to use. Andrews (1999, Econometrica, 543-564) proposes a method for moment selection...

This paper describes a new test of a parametric model of a conditional mean function against a nonparametric alternative. The test adapts to the unknown smoothness of the alternative model and is uniformly consistent against alternatives whose distance from the parametric model converges to zero...

In this paper we take a "market-based" approach to examine whether increased expenditures improve perceived school quality and whether the current level of public school provision is inefficient. We find evidence that, on average, school districts are not wasting taxpayers' education dollars....

This paper disseminates the survivor function of inter-trade durations as a key feature of the intraday trading process. It sheds light on the time varying trading intensity and, thus, liquidity of a traded asset and the information channels which propagate price signals among asymmetrically...

To stimulate the re-employment of unemployed workers, the Dutch local unemployment insurance agencies provide counseling and monitoring. We investigate the effect of this ``active labor market policy'' on the individual transition rate from unemployment to employment. We present a job search...

Recent work shows that a low correlation between the instruments and the included variables leads to serious inference problems. We extend the local-to-zero analysis of models with weak instruments to models with estimated instruments and regressors and with higher-order dependence between...

This study investigates an incomplete markets economy in which the saving behavior of a continuum of infinitely lived agents is influenced by precautionary saving motives and borrowing constraints. Two types of assets (interest bearing IOUs and money) enhance the liquidity of agents by providing...

In this paper we study 2-state Markov switching VAR models of monthly unemployment and inflation for three countries: Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. We find that such models seem to provide a better description of the data than single regime VARs and need fewer lags to account...

We estimate a structural model of financing choices in presence of managerial moral hazard, financial distress costs and taxes. In the theoretical model, firms with low cost of managerial effort, and high financial distress costs and non--debt tax shields, find it optimal to issue equity....

This paper addresses the question of how to model individual behavior in the face of changes in the set of rules that govern the social welfare system in Sweden. To this end, the Swedish sickness insurance provides an excellent study object, since the system has often been changed during the...