Asymptotics and smoothing parameter selection for penalized spline regression with various loss functions

Penalized splines are used in various types of regression analyses, including non‐parametric quantile, robust and the usual mean regression. In this paper, we focus on the penalized spline estimator with general convex loss functions. By specifying the loss function, we can obtain the mean estimator, quantile estimator and robust estimator. We will first study the asymptotic properties of penalized splines. Specifically, we will show the asymptotic bias and variance as well as the asymptotic normality of the estimator. Next, we will discuss smoothing parameter selection for the minimization of the mean integrated squares error. The new smoothing parameter can be expressed uniquely using the asymptotic bias and variance of the penalized spline estimator. To validate the new smoothing parameter selection method, we will provide a simulation. The simulation results show that the consistency of the estimator with the proposed smoothing parameter selection method can be confirmed and that the proposed estimator has better behavior than the estimator with generalized approximate cross‐validation. A real data example is also addressed.     

Multi-layer quality function deployment (QFD) approach for improving the compromised quality satisfaction under the agency problem: A 3D QFD design for the asset selection problem in the shipping industry

The aim of this paper is to improve the quality function deployment (QFD) method by utilizing requirements of both the major customer and the service provider. The QFD method was first applied to the shipbuilding industry and the main goal of the method is to improve the production processes by using customer requirements in connection with the related technical measures of the product. However, one of the critical criticisms of the QFD is based on the lack of proper budget assessment and the satisfaction of the producer (or service provider). The multi-layer QFD design is proposed to collect responses from both customer and the service provider so as to ensure satisfaction of all parties including financial feasibility of the intended improvements. Hence, the agency problem between parties will be eliminated.     

The Optimal Enforcement of a Finance-Constrained Immigration Law

We extend the Bucci and Tenorio (1996) model of illegal immigration by constructing a two-country, one-good, two-factor model, and use a Cobb-Douglas production function to analyze political issues not considered in their work. We consider the case where capital is immobile between the two countries, as well as the case in which capital is mobile. Our main result is that the host country's government can, under some circumstances, optimally enforce employer sanctions in order to maximize the host country's welfare under both capital mobility and immobility.     

Cournot competition,intra-industry trade,and nonconstancy of marginal costs: A three-country case

In this paper we shall develop and investigate a three-country and two-commodity model of international trade with an imperfectly competitive good which is produced under increasing marginal costs by explicitly incorporating intra-industry trade between industrialized countries. The main results we obtain are: (1) the full optimal discriminatory tariffs levied by a third importing country are necessarily positive; (2) the imposition of tariff can cause an increase in intra-industry trade, and therefore (3) under certain conditions the importing country's intervention into the international market can be a Pareto superior policy for the world as a whole as well as for the country.     

Effects of the Reform of the Social Medical Insurance System in Japan

We estimate outpatient medical care demand functions and examine the effects of the 1997 reform of the medical insurance system. We focus on the issue of which persons have been most affected by the reform and on the extent to which price elasticities have changed since the reform. The estimation results show that the reform affected mainly dependants' demand for medical care, which implies that all members of the household shared the increase in the medical costs of the head of the household. Price elasticities ranged from −0.18 to −0.26 before the reform, and from −0.08 to −0.11 after the reform.
JEL Classification Numbers: C35, I10, I18.     

Cash to spend: IPO wealth and house prices

This study demonstrates the impact of initial public offerings (IPOs) on local house prices. Applying spatial difference-in-differences methods to IPOs in California from 1993 to 2017, we find house prices increase by 0.7%–0.9% near an IPO firm's headquarters around filing and issuing dates. Upon lockup expiration, price changes depend on postissuance returns. Treating the San Francisco Bay as a commuting barrier, we identify sustained price increases after filings and temporary increases after issuing and lockup expiration. We also confirm post-IPO price divergence between the treatment and synthetic control areas. Our findings indicate the effect of liquid wealth under mild financial constraints.