Assumptions about explanatory variables and errors are central in regression analysis. For example, the well-known method of ordinary least squares yields consistent and efficient estimators if the underlying error terms are independently, identically, and normally distributed. Additionally, the...

The increasing concern of the policy maker about eating behavior has focused on the spread of obesity and on the evidence of a consistent number of individuals dieting despite being underweight. As the latter behavior is often attributed to the social pressure to be thin, some governments have...

1 Overview of Behavioral Economics and Policy -- 2 The Four Pillars of Behavioral Paternalism -- 3 Failing Better: What We Learn by Confronting Risk and Uncertainty -- 4 Behavioral Nudges and Consumer Technology -- 5 Private-Sector Nudging: The Good, the Bad, and the Uncertain -- 6 Who Should...

We test for differences across the two most recent NHANES survey periods (1988-1994 and 1999-2004) in self-perception of weight status. We find that the probability of self-classifying as overweight is significantly lower on average in the more recent survey, for both men and women, controlling...