Empirical Evidence of the Leverage Effect in a Stochastic Volatility Model: A Realized Volatility Approach

Increasing attention has been focused on the analysis of the realized volatility, which can be treated as a proxy for the true volatility. In this paper, we study the potential use of the realized volatility as a proxy in a stochastic volatility model estimation. We estimate the leveraged stochastic volatility model using the realized volatility computed from five popular methods across six sampling-frequency transaction data (from 1-min to 60- min) based on the trust region method. Availability of the realized volatility allows us to estimate the model parameters via the MLE and thus avoids computational challenge in the high dimensional integration. Six stock indices are considered in the empirical investigation. We discover some consistent findings and interesting patterns from the empirical results. In general, the significant leverage effect is consistently detected at each sampling frequency and the volatility persistence becomes weaker at the lower sampling frequency.     

Stochastic Divergence or Convergence of Per Capita Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Re-examining the Evidence

This paper revisits the time-series literature on the convergence of per capita carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and examines the robustness of previous results. Using a sample of OECD countries for the period 1950–2002 we employ a battery of stationarity and unit root tests including those that allow for cross-sectional dependencies within the panel. We also correct for inaccuracies in previous studies that could result in a trend-stationary series being labelled as converging even if it were actually diverging from the international average. The body of evidence provided by our analysis suggests that per capita CO₂ emissions have not converged among OECD countries during the period under consideration. This finding is of importance to both climate change policy makers and to those who construct climate change models.      

Does Trade Openness Affect the Speed of Output Convergence? Some Empirical Evidence

In this paper we develop flexible techniques for measuring the speed of output convergence between countries when such convergence may be of an unknown non-linear form. We then calculate these convergence speeds for various countries, in terms of half-lives, using a time-series data-set for 88 countries. These calculations are based on both nonparametric kernel regression and ‘fuzzy’ regression, and the results are compared with more restrictive estimates based on the assumption of linear convergence. The calculated half-lives are regressed, again in various flexible ways, on cross-section data for the degree of openness to trade. We find evidence that favors the hypothesis that increased trade openness is associated with a faster rate of convergence in output between countries.     

收敛抑或发散:来自中国区域经济非平衡增长的经验证据

按照共同的确定性线性时间趋势，可将我国28个省市自治区划分为四个区域（直辖市、经济发达、经济较发达和经济落后区域），这些区域的经济增长存在着四个“俱乐部”收敛的特征。同时，在直辖市和经济发达区域的“俱乐部”之间还存在着绝对β-收敛的趋势。另外，在经济发达、经济较发达和经济落后区域的“俱乐部”之间，经济差距存在显著的持续扩大趋势。可以证明中国区域经济平衡非增长现象严重，贫富差距逐步扩大。     

中国可转债市场效率的随机占优检验

如果一种投资对另外一种投资是一阶随机占优的话,那么说明市场上存在进行无风险套利的可能;但在价格有效的证券市场上,这种可能性是不存在的。基于对民生转债和民生银行股票的分析,我们发现民生转债对民生银行是一阶随机占优的。这一方面是中国证券市场无效率的证据;另一方面对投资者来说是一个很好的套利机会。     

Towards a Holistic Approach of the Attitude Behaviour Gap in Ethical Consumer Behaviours: Empirical Evidence from Spain

This paper explores alternative understandings of the attitude behavior gap, a well documented phenomenon, both in ethical consumer behavior and social research in general. A multi-method, qualitative approach is adopted, aiming at greater internal validity of data. The findings broaden current knowledge on the attitude behavior gap, showing how ethically minded consumers rationalize their inconsistent behavior. The last section of the paper integrates existing knowledge on the attitude behavior gap with the empirical findings of the present study into a conceptual model. Relevant implications for marketers are also discussed.     

A Spatial Stochastic Frontier Model with Spillovers: Evidence for Italian Regions

Efficiency measurement using stochastic frontier models is well established in applied econometrics. However, no published work seems to be available on efficiency analysis using spatial data dealing with possible spatial dependence between regions. This article considers a stochastic frontier model with decomposition of inefficiency into an idiosyncratic and a spatial, spillover component. Exact posterior distributions of parameters are derived, and computational schemes based on Gibbs sampling with data augmentation are proposed to conduct simulation‐based inference and efficiency measurement. The new method is illustrated using production data for Italian regions (1970–1993). Clearly, further theoretical and empirical research on the subject would be of great interest.     

中国经济增长收敛性实证分析

经济增长是一个动态的社会再生产过程,一个国家的经济增长在不同历史时期呈现出不同的增长模式。首先探索了中国经济增长的时、空变点分布,并在此基础上详细探讨了中国经济增长的收敛性,给出了相应的解读,为正确认识中国经济增长的规律性提供了参考依据。     

The Stochastic Convergence of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Emissions: A Long Memory Approach

In response to equity concerns surrounding the spatial distribution of CO₂ emissions and assumptions of CO₂ convergence within some climate models, this paper examines the convergence of CO₂ emissions within the OECD over the period 1870–2004. More specifically, using the Local Whittle estimator and its variants we examine whether relative per capita CO₂ emissions are fractionally integrated, that is they are long memory processes which, although highly persistant, may revert to the mean/trend in the long run. Our results suggest that CO₂ emissions within 13 out of 18 OECD countries are indeed fractionally integrated implying that they converge over time, albeit slowly. Interestingly though, the countries whose emissions are not found to be fractionally integrated are some of the highest polluters within the OECD, at least in per capita terms. Our results have implications both for future studies of CO₂ convergence and for climate policy.     

交通基础设施与城市空气污染——来自中国的经验证据

为了探寻现阶段加强交通基础设施能否提升城市空气质量,本文构建理论模型分析了居民效用、交通基础设施与空气污染的相互作用机理,并运用2000—2012年83个城市的面板数据进行实证研究。为控制内生性问题,本文采取反映样本城市地形特征的城市坡度指数作为城市交通基础设施的工具变量,估计了交通基础设施对城市空气质量的影响。研究发现:增加交通基础设施投资能够改善城市空气质量;通过工具变量缓解内生性偏误后,改善作用更加明显,且大于城市机动车保有量增加对空气污染的边际影响;与道路投资相比,道路面积的增长对空气质量的改善效应更好。本文的政策启示是:现阶段城市建设应该注重基础设施建设与生态环境保护并举,通过交通基础设施的供给侧角度,寻找城市空气污染难题的解决思路,实现城市生态文明建设的平衡与充分发展。     

Portugal–EU Convergence Revisited: Evidence for the Period 1960–2003

This paper uses the stochastic approach to convergence to investigate whether real per capita GDP in Portugal has been converging to the EU15 average. The estimation accounts for conditional convergence, transitional dynamics and up to two structural breaks. It is found that per capita GDP in Portugal has indeed converged to the EU15 average, but the pace of convergence has not been uniform along time. In particular, a slow down in the convergence process is identified in 1974. This result depends, however, as to whether the choice of this break-date is viewed as uncorrelated with the data. No evidence of acceleration in the speed of convergence is found after EC accession, in 1986.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Fifty-Ninth International Atlantic Economic Conference, London, England, March 9–13, 2005. Helpful suggestions from the conference participants and Luis Catela Nunes are acknowledged. The author expresses his gratitude for the financial support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under research grant POCI/EGE/55423/2004 (partially funded by FEDER).     

What Determines the Finance-growth Nexus? Empirical Evidence for Threshold Models

This paper elaborates the notion of ``balanced' financial development that is contingent on a country's general level of development. We develop an empirical framework to address this point, referring to threshold regressions and a bootstrap test for structural shift in a growth equation. We find that countries gain less from financial activity, if the latter fails to keep up with or exceeds what would follow from a balanced expansion path. These analyses contribute to the finance and growth literature in providing empirical support for the ``balanced' financial development hypothesis.     

A Rational Explanation for the Redistribution Paradox. Theory and Empirical Evidence

The paper provides a rational explanation for the redistribution paradox, whereby low‐income individuals seeking more social security prefer a lower taxation although this might imply a reduced welfare. A simple model of tax transfer and redistribution is presented, with various agents facing two different unemployment probabilities. We investigate how the preferred tax rate changes with the probability of being unemployed. We show that, when the probability of unemployment for the less‐skilled correlates negatively with that of the highly skilled, the relationship with the tax rate is not monotonic and depends on the level of risk aversion. This theoretical framework is confirmed in an empirical investigation based on microeconomic data, and in a robustness test based on macroeconomic data.     

中国商业银行的利润效率:1994-2010年——基于随机前沿替代利润函数方法的实证分析

本文运用随机前沿替代利润函数方法对我国十四家商业银行1994-2010年的利润效率进行了实证分析,结果表明,股份制商业银行样本期的平均利润效率高于大型商业银行样本期的平均利润效率.商业银行的产权性质、入世以及上市分别与商业银行的利润非效率呈负向关系.充分说明入世、国有商业银行的股份制改造及银行上市提高了我国商业银行的利润效率.     

Sabotage in Tournaments with Heterogeneous Contestants: Empirical Evidence from the Soccer Pitch

In this paper, we address the problem of sabotage in tournaments with heterogeneous contestants. In a first step, we develop a formal model, which yields the prediction that favorites exert higher productive effort, while underdogs are more tempted to engage in destructive actions (sabotage). This is because favorites have a higher return on productive effort and both types of effort are substitutes. In a second step, we use data from German professional soccer to test this prediction. In line with the model, we find that favorite teams win more tackles in a fair way, while underdog teams commit more fouls.     

On the Empirical Evidence of the Intertemporal Current Account Model for the Euro Area Countries

A simple intertemporal current account model is found to explain successfully the current account configuration in the euro area before the Great Recession. The analysis suggests that consumption smoothing, prompted by expectations of economic convergence and the removal of exchange rate risk, has been an important driving force for the build‐up of current account divergence in the euro area since the creation of monetary union. The model also predicts that current account deficits and surpluses would narrow under a post‐crisis scenario of moderate catching‐up and more segmented bond markets.     

Examining Trends of Criteria Air Pollutants: Are the Effects of Governmental Intervention Transitory?

Despite its growth in other areas of economics,time series econometric methods have not beenwidespread in the area of environmental andresource economics. We illustrate one use oftime series methods by examining the time pathof US nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emission dataover the period 1900–1994. The analysishighlights that proper time series methods canaid in optimal regulatory policy as well asdeveloping empirical verification of theoriesput forth to explain economic phenomena. Inaddition, several interesting results emerge. First, we find that the emissions seriescontains both a permanent and random component. Second, if one attributed all of the emissionsreductions to regulatory policy, interventionanalysis suggests that the 1970 Clean Air Act(CAA) did not merely have transitory effects,but permanently influenced the NO_xemission path. In terms of total regulatoryimpact, an upper bound on the emissions saveddue to the 1970 CAA is in the range of27%–48%.     

Changing Economic Structures and Impacts of Shocks: Evidence from a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model for China

We present a small‐scale dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model that features price rigidities, habit formation in consumption and costs in capital adjustment. We estimate the key parameters and calibrate the model with data for the Chinese economy. Our interest centres on the impact of technology and monetary policy shocks for different structures of the Chinese economy. In particular, we evaluate how a rebalancing of the economy from investment‐led to consumption‐led growth would affect the economic dynamics after a shock occurs. Our findings suggest that a rebalancing would reduce the volatility of the real economy in the event of a technology shock, which provides support for policies aiming to increase the consumption share in China.     

Inflation and Relative Price Variability in a Low Inflation Country: Empirical Evidence for Germany

Abstract. The recent literature on the welfare cost of inflation emphasizes inflation's effect on the variability of relative prices. Expected and unexpected inflation have both been proposed to increase relative price variability (RPV) and, thereby, to distort the information content of nominal prices. This paper presents new evidence on the impact of inflation on RPV in Germany. Our results indicate that the influence of expected inflation disappears if a credible monetary policy stabilizes inflationary expectations on a low level. Yet the significant impact of unexpected inflation suggests that even low inflation rates can lead to welfare losses by raising RPV above its efficient level.     

空中乘务专业认同测量模型及其实证研究

综合采用文献分析与深度访谈,提出了空中乘务专业认同四维度测量模型,它包括：专业教学、专业前景、专业意识及专业发展。开发并验证了用于测量空中乘务专业认同的量表。实证结果表明：开发的量表具有良好的信效度。对开展空中乘务专业认同优化管理提供参考依据。