This paper derives unbalanced versions of the tests statistics for ¯rst order serial correlation and random individual e®ects summarized in Sosa Escudero and Bera (2001), and updates their xttest1 routine. The derived tests statistics should be useful for applied researchers faced with the...

Human capital, productivity and physical capital are considered the main factors in the economies’ GDP per capita determination. According to the neoclassical approach, human capital accumulation explains about a third of the variation in per capita income across countries. However, there is...

The goal of this paper is to explore the role of the banking sector in transmission of the Bank of Latvia's monetary policy and to check the existence of the bank lending channel in Latvia. For empirical investigation of the bank lending channel in Latvia, we use the approach that builds on the...

This study analyses the role played by adjustment costs and R&D investment prices in total R&D productivity. The results show that on average, for each monetary unit increase in adjustment costs produces a fall in productivity of 0.034 monetary units.

This paper presents an empirical study of GDP per worker (and per capita) convergence across German labour market regions during 1992 to 2002 using nonparametric techniques. There is evidence for a tendency towards convergence during the observed period, i.e. regions that were less productive in...

Using a panel of 439 German regions we evaluate and compare the performance of various Neural Network (NN) models as forecasting tools for regional employment growth. Because of relevant differences in data availability between the former East and West Germany, NN models are computed separately...

In this paper we propose a semiparametric Bayesian framework for the analysis of stochastic frontiers and efficiency measurement. The distribution of inefficiencies is modelled nonparametrically through a Dirichlet process prior. We suggest prior distributions and implement a Bayesian analysis...

The forthcoming eastern enlargement of the European Union is generally perceived to constitute one of the most significant challenges to the process of European integration so far. The economic impact of the enlargement is likely to be considerable. The enlargement, as any other previous...

In this paper we empirically analyse the linkages among growth, investment and reforms in the South East Asian countries, in the North Africa and in the non CFA Sub-Saharan Africa economies over 1970-89 to 2003. These regions differ considerably among them selves as well as with regard to the...