Motivated by the need for an unbiased and positive-semidefinite estimator of multivariate realized covariance matrices, we model noisy and asynchronous ultra-high-frequency asset prices in a state-space framework with missing data. We then estimate the covariance matrix of the latent states...

The origin of the obesity epidemic in developing countries is still poorly understood. It has been prominently argued that economic development provides a natural interpretation of the growth in obesity. This paper tests the main aggregated predictions of the theoretical framework to analyze...

We study first- and second-order subjective expectations (beliefs) in strategic decisionmaking.We propose a method to elicit probabilistically both first- and second-order beliefs and apply the method to a Hide-and-Seek experiment. We study the relationship between choice and beliefs in terms of...

Dieser Beitrag erörtert die möglichen Ursachen für das Entstehen der aktuellen Verschuldungs- und Finanzkrise im Euroraum und diskutiert Zukunftsszenarien für die Europäische Union. Nach den jüngsten Beschlüssen zeichnet sich eine institutionelle Weiterentwicklung der Union mit folgenden...

Moving towards a fiscal union does not address the problems of divergence in Europe. Given cultural heterogeneity and diverse preferences, fiscal policy should remain under national sovereignty while important regulatory power is assigned to the Union. The paper argues that more credible fiscal...

We explore the productivity impact of international trade in a monopolistically competitive economy with endogenous mark-ups due to credit market frictions. We show that reducing trade barriers in such an environment (i) may - but not necessarily must – have a negative impact on productivity...

This paper investigates the effects of different prize structures on the effort choices of participants in two-stage elimination contests. A format with a single prize is shown to maximize totaleffort over both stages, but induces low effort in stage 1 and high effort in stage 2. By contrast, a...

This note examines the conditions under which a state-owned firm with a political agenda crowds out investment by a private firm. We show that crowding out occurs if the private firm regards investments as strategic substitutes and private investment is undesirable from the state-owned firm's...

We propose a new methodology to estimate the empirical pricing kernel implied from option data. In contrast to most of the studies in the literature that use an indirect approach, i.e. first estimating the physical and risk-neutral densities and obtaining the pricing kernel in a second step, we...

In heterogeneous treatment effect models with endogeneity, the identification of the local average treatment effect (LATE) typically relies on an instrument that satisfies two conditions: (i) joint independence of the potential post-instrument variables and the instrument and (ii) monotonicity...