Quantile regression provides a convenient framework for analyzing the impact of covariates on the complete conditional distribution of a response variable instead of only the mean. While frequentist treatments of quantile regression are typically completely nonparametric, a Bayesian formulation...

Generalized additive models for location, scale and shape define a flexible, semi-parametric class of regression models for analyzing insurance data in which the exponential family assumption for the response is relaxed. This approach allows the actuary to include risk factors not only in the...

We propose a Bayesian nonparametric instrumental variable approach that allows us to correct for endogeneity bias in regression models where the covariate effects enter with unknown functional form. Bias correction relies on a simultaneous equations specication with flexible modeling of the...

In this thesis, so far insufficiently considered characteristics of long-run equilibriums in food markets are investigated. For this purpose, multivariate time series methodologies, which were developed for the estimation of long-run relationships by allowing for causality and convergence, are...

Empirical studies on farmland rental rates have predominantly concentrated on modelling conditional means using spatial autoregressive models, where a linear functional form between the response and the covariates is usually assumed. However, if it is in fact non-linear, misspecifying the...

In this paper we explore the application of structured additive distributional regression for the analysis of conditional income distributions in Germany following the reunification. Using a bootstrapped Kolmogorov-Smirnov test we find that conditional personal income distributions can generally...

In this paper we construct simultaneous confidence bands for a smooth curve using penalized spline estimators. We consider three types of estimation methods: (i) as a standard (fixed effect) nonparametric model, (ii) using the mixed model framework with the spline coefficients as random effects...

Precise knowledge about factors influencing the habitat suitability of a certain species forms the basis for the implementation of effective programs to conserve biological diversity. Such knowledge is frequently gathered from studies relating abundance data to a set of influential variables in...