Based on 1992 US National Survey of Veterans, we analyzed the nature of veterans' inpatient and outpatient health care utilization by estimating a count data two-part hurdle model. We also identified factors that affect veterans' choices between VA and non- VA health care facilities, using a...

In this paper we present a model in which an individual's sentiments toward others are affected by how they behave relative to the societal norm. This, in turn, affects the individual's own behavior and hence other agents' sentiments toward her. We focus on stationary patterns of utility...

Using monthly GDP forecasts from Consensus Economics Inc. for 18 developed countries reported over 24 different forecast horizons during 1989-2004, we find that the survey forecasts do not have much value when the horizon goes beyond 18 months. Using two alternative approaches to measure the...

Despite the broad interest in performance measurement during the past 20 years, few state and local governments actually use performance measures as a management tool. A possible reason for this puzzle is that performance measurement systems are difficult to successfully implement. In this paper...

Self-assessed health status conditioned by several objective measures of health and socio-demographic characteristics are used to measure health inequality. We compare the quality of health and health inequality among different racial/ethnic groups as well as across 17 regions in New York State....

This paper considers the problem of equalizing opportunities among agents who differ in both their tastes and innate productive abilities when these characteristics are unobservable. The government specifically wishes to offset the effects of differences in innate talents by affording public...

A model linking macroeconomic phenomena and income distribution in balanced growth equilibria is developed as a variant to the Kaldor model of factor shares. It departs from the original Kaldor model in assuming equal savings rates and production determined by a matching process between workers...

I estimate, using real-time data, a forward-looking, dynamic, discrete-choice monetary policy reaction function for the US economy, that accounts for the fact that there are substantial restrictions in the period-to-period changes of the Fed's policy instrument (an issue which is however largely...

Investment necessary for growth is risky and often requires external financing. For an emerging market, access to international credit markets is volatile and interest rates reflect risk of default. We present a theoretical model in which emerging market agents have access to a profitable...

We have estimated a 4-step sequential probit model with and without sample separation information to characterize SSA's disability determination process. Under the program provisions, different criteria dictate the outcomes at different steps of the process. We used data on health, activity...