Credit scoring methods aim to assess the default risk of a potential borrower. This involves typically the calculation of a credit score and the estimation of the probability of default. One of the standard approaches is logistic discriminant analysis, also referred to as logit model. This model...

The paper gives an introduction to theory and application of multivariate and semiparametric kernel smoothing. Multivariate nonparametric density estimation is an often used pilot tool for examining the structure of data. Regression smoothing helps in investigating the association between...

Couples from Western countries tend to delay their pregnancies, which may affect their ability to obtain a live birth. We assessed the association between male age and the risk of spontaneous abortion taking into account woman's age. We performed telephone interviews on a ross-sectional random...

This paper studies data from the wholesale fruit and vegetables market in Marseille. The special feature of the data is that we have details of counteroffers to the prices that were proposed by the seller even when no transaction took place. Each offer, counteroffer and refusal conveys...

Widespread concern over real effects of EMU is consistent with new Keynesian approaches to macroeconomic fluctuations, but more difficult to reconcile with a real business cycle (RBC) paradigm. Using a model with frictions as a point of departure, I argue that nominal price rigidity in Europe is...

The concept of nonparametric smoothing is a central idea in statistics that aims to simultaneously estimate and modes the underlyingstructure. The book considers high dimensional objects, as density functions and regression. The semiparametric modeling technique compromises the two aims,...

One of the long-standing puzzles in economics is why wages do not fall sufficiently in recessions so as to avoid increases in unemployment. Put differently, if the competitive market wage declines, why don’t employers simply force their employees to accept lower wages as well? As an...