Showing papers in "Empirical Economics in 2017"

The role of news-based uncertainty indices in predicting oil markets: a hybrid nonparametric quantile causality method

Abstract: A recent strand in the literature emphasizes the role of news-based economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and equity market uncertainty (EMU) as drivers of oil price movements. Against this backdrop, this paper uses a kth-order nonparametric quantile causality test, to analyse whether EPU and EMU predict stock returns and volatility. Based on daily data covering the period of 2 January 1986 to 8 December 2014, we find that, for oil returns, EPU and EMU have strong predictive power over the entire distribution barring regions around the median, but for volatility, the predictability virtually covers the entire distribution, with some exceptions in the tails. In other words, predictability based on measures of uncertainty is asymmetric over the distribution of oil returns and its volatility.

Regional club convergence in the EU: evidence from a panel data analysis

Abstract: We investigate club convergence in income per capita in 194 European NUTS-2 regions using a nonlinear, time-varying factor model that allows for individual and transitional heterogeneity. Moreover, we extend an existing club clustering algorithm with two post-clustering merging algorithms that finalize club formation. We also apply an ordered response model to assess the role of initial and structural conditions, as well as geographic factors. Our results indicate the presence of four convergence clubs in the EU-15 countries. In support of the club convergence hypothesis, we find that initial conditions matter for the resulting income distribution. Geographic clustering is quite pronounced; besides a north-to-south division, we detect high-income clusters for capital cities. We conclude that the main supranational policy challenge is the politically sensitive handling of a multi-speed Europe.

On the ambiguous economic freedom–inequality relationship

Abstract: Previous research on the relationship between economic freedom and income inequality has produced mixed results. We provide a short survey of this literature, identifying potential causes for this empirical heterogeneity. Next, we replicate the results from two significant studies using six alternative measures of income inequality for an updated dataset of up to 112 countries over the period 1970–2010. Notably, we use the latest release of the Standardized World Income Inequality Dataset, which allows us to account for the uncertainty of the estimated Gini coefficients. We find that the results of previous studies are sensitive to the choice of country sample, time period and/or inequality measure used. We conclude with suggestions for future research in the area.

A new approach to testing unemployment hysteresis

Abstract: This paper proposes a novel approach to testing unemployment hysteresis. It examined the existence of hysteresis in the unemployment rates of four Nordic countries, namely Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, for the period of 2000–2014. The study applied four alternative methods to analyse the data. The best estimation procedure was chosen in a simple and consistent way. As the findings indicated, the ADF test and FADF test failed to reject the null hypothesis of unemployment hysteresis in all four countries. The ADF–SB test produced mixed results: it rejected the null hypothesis of hysteresis for Denmark and Norway, but failed to reject the null hypothesis for Finland and Sweden. The FADF–SB test yielded more consistent findings: it rejected the null hypothesis for all four countries. Furthermore, findings from the F-tests clearly indicated that the FADF–SB test was the best method among the four proposed alternatives. Despite some discrepancies the findings of this study suggest that unemployment in the four Nordic countries had a mean reversion tendency.

Macroeconomic uncertainty indices for the Euro Area and its individual member countries

Abstract: This paper introduces the Rossi and Sekhposyan (Am Econ Rev 105(5): 650–655, 2015) uncertainty index for the Euro Area and its member countries. The index captures how unexpected a forecast error associated with a realization of a macroeconomic variable is relative to the unconditional distribution of forecast errors. Furthermore, it can differentiate between upside and downside uncertainty, which could be relevant for addressing a variety of economic questions. The index is particularly useful since it can be constructed for any country/variable for which point forecasts and realizations are available. We show the usefulness of the index in studying the heterogeneity of uncertainty across Euro Area countries as well as the spillover effects via a network approach.

Contemporaneous causal orderings of US corn cash prices through directed acyclic graphs

Abstract: This study investigates dynamic relationships among US corn cash prices for the years 2006–2011. Using daily data from 182 markets in seven Midwestern states, an error correction model is estimated and directed acyclic graphs characterize the contemporaneous causal relationships among prices from different states. Empirical results based on the PC algorithm show that three states, Iowa, Ohio, and Minnesota, dominate corn cash prices. Four potential causal paths among the three states also are identified. Given that physical flows of grain are different at different times of the year, the data are divided into storage periods and harvest periods, and a VAR in differences is adopted to model the price relationships. While Iowa and Ohio continue to dominate corn prices during the storage period, the causal flows are mixed during the harvest period. An application of the LiNGAM algorithm refines the results relative to those derived from the PC algorithm and reveals that Iowa, the leading corn-producing state, is the only state that dominates pricing over the crop year.

Capital structure adjustments: Do macroeconomic and business risks matter?

Abstract: We show that risk plays an important role in estimating the adjustment of the firm’s capital structure. We find that the adjustment process is asymmetric and depends on the type of risk, its magnitude, the firm’s current leverage, and its financial status. We also show that firms with financial surpluses and above-target leverage adjust their leverage more rapidly when firm-specific risk is low and when macroeconomic risk is high. Firms with financial deficits and below-target leverage adjust their capital structure more quickly when both types of risks are low. Our investigation suggests that models without risk factors yield biased results.

The Baltic Dry Index: cyclicalities, forecasting and hedging strategies

Abstract: The cyclical properties of the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) and their implications for forecasting performance are investigated. We find that changes in the BDI can lead to permanent shocks to trade of major exporting economies. In our forecasting exercise, we show that commodities and trigonometric regression can lead to improved predictions and then use our forecasting results to perform an investment exercise and to show how they can be used for improved risk management in the freight sector.

Identifying the robust economic, geographical and political determinants of FDI: an Extreme Bounds Analysis

Abstract: Understanding what determines Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows remains a primary concern of economists and policy makers; yet, the uncertainty surrounding FDI theories and empirical approaches has created much ambiguity regarding the determinants of FDI. This paper undertakes an exhaustive search for robust determinants of FDI. We apply Extreme Bound Analysis to deal with model uncertainty, using a large panel data set that covers 168 countries from 1970 to 2006. We consider 58 potential determinants of FDI that include economic, geographic and political variables. We show that more than half of the previously suggested FDI determinants are not robust. Our findings reaffirm the view that, in order to become attractive destinations for foreign investors, countries need to reinforce their infrastructure facilities, liberalise their local and global investment policies, improve the quality of governance institutions and reduce internal conflict and political risk.

A dynamic factor model for nowcasting Canadian GDP growth

Abstract: This paper estimates a dynamic factor model (DFM) for nowcasting Canadian gross domestic product. The model is estimated with a mix of soft and hard indicators, and it features a high share of international data. The model is then used to generate nowcasts, predictions of the recent past and current state of the economy. In a pseudo-real-time setting, we show that the DFM outperforms univariate benchmarks, as well as other commonly used nowcasting models, such as MIDAS and bridge regressions.

What is the right profile for getting a job? : A stated choice experiment of the recruitment process

Abstract: We study the recruitment behaviour of Swedish employers using data from a stated choice experiment. In the experiment, the employers are first asked to describe an employee who recently and voluntarily left the firm and then to choose between two hypothetical applicants to invite to a job interview or to hire as a replacement for their previous employee. The two applicants differ with respect to characteristics such as gender, age, education, work experience, ethnicity, religious beliefs, family situation, weight, and health, but otherwise have similar characteristics as the previous employee. Our results show that employers prefer not to recruit applicants who are old, non-European, Muslim, Jewish, obese, have several children, or have a history of sickness absence. We also calculate the reduction in wage costs needed to make employers indifferent between applicants with and without these characteristics, and find that wage costs would have to be reduced by up to 50 % for applicants with some characteristics.

Innovation and institutional ownership revisited: an empirical investigation with count data models

Abstract: By discriminating between a lazy manager and a career concerns hypothesis, Aghion et al. (Am Econ Rev 103(1):277–304, 2013. doi: 10.1257/aer.103.1.277 ) try to disentangle the link between innovation and institutional ownership. Citation-weighted patent counts are used as a proxy for innovation, which motivates the use of count data models. A replication in a narrow sense confirms their empirical results which are mainly based on Poisson models (i.e., with a single set of regression coefficients). However, when extending the model framework by count data hurdle models, it is shown that the two hurdle parts do not coincide—as they should under the Poisson model—but lead to different results. Nevertheless, a remarkably stable positive correlation of citation-weighted patents and institutional ownership across all model specifications can be shown.

Local labor markets and earnings of refugee immigrants

Abstract: This paper estimates how local conditions at the time of immigration influence later outcomes for refugee immigrants to Norway, exploiting the quasi-experimental nature of the Norwegian system for settlement for “quota” or resettlement refugees. A unique administrative dataset with assigned settlement municipalities is used to identify the causal effect of initial location characteristics. Being placed in a labor market where other non-OECD immigrants do well increases own annual labor earnings up to 6 years after immigration. Extended models suggest that this effect is not driven by individual scarring effects: when controlling for the contemporaneous employment rate in the assigned region, effects of initial conditions disappear. Rather, the effects appear to be due to persistence in local labor market conditions combined with limited geographical mobility in response to adverse labor market conditions.

Long-term unemployment and violent crime

Abstract: This study reinvestigates the relationship between unemployment and crime, but is the first to focus explicitly on the effects of long-term unemployment on crime. A unique finding is that long-term unemployment shows a strong association with violent crime, an effect which is greater than that of total unemployment on property crime in this and most previous studies. Long-term unemployment thus identifies a marginal group for committing crime (particularly violent crime) better than total unemployment, with the duration of unemployment plausibly increasing the strain that fosters violent behaviour.

Tracking positive and negative effects of inequality on long-run growth

Abstract: Despite extensive research controversy remains on the effects of income inequality on economic growth. The literature proposes several transmission channels through which these effects may occur and even the existence of two different forms of inequality. However, empirical studies have not generally distinguished between these channels, nor have they considered the two forms of inequality and their separate effects on growth. In this paper, we review the theory and the evidence of the transmission channels through which inequality influences growth. We contribute to the literature by using a system of recursive equations, following a control function approach, to empirically assess the relevance of these channels and to differentiate between two forms of inequality. In a single model, we capture both a negative and a positive effect of inequality on long-run economic growth.

Diesel and soybean price relationship in the USA: evidence from a quantile autoregressive distributed lag model

Abstract: We use the quantile autoregressive distributed lag model of Galvao et al. (Oxf Bull Econ Stat 75:307–321, 2013) to explore the possible relationship between prices of diesel and soybean. Monthly US diesel and soybean prices spanning from January 2004 to June 2014 are used in this analysis. Strong links between diesel and soybean prices are identified over the long run. Results indicate that soybean price movement is tail-dependent and varies over quantiles. In the upper quantiles, soybean prices respond strongly to diesel price fluctuations as compared to that in the lower quantiles.

Causality between credit depth and economic growth: evidence from 24 OECD countries

Abstract: Causality between the ratio of domestic private credit to GDP and growth in real GDP per capita is investigated in a country-by-country time-series framework for 24 OECD economies over the period 1980–2013. The proposed threefold methodology to test for causal linkages integrates (1) lag-augmented VAR Granger causality tests, (2) Breitung–Candelon causality tests in the frequency domain, and (3) testing for causal inference based on a fully modified OLS (FMOLS) approach. For 12 of 24 countries in the sample, the three tests yield uniform results in terms of causality presence (absence) and direction. Causality running from credit depth to economic growth is found for the UK, Australia, Switzerland, and Greece. The findings lend no support to the view that financial development shifts from a supply-leading to demand-following pattern as economic development proceeds. The aggregate results mesh well with the current discussion on “too much finance” and disintermediation effects. However, idiosyncratic country determinants also appear significant.

Unemployment hysteresis and structural change in Europe

Abstract: We examine the unemployment hysteresis hypothesis for 31 European countries, the USA and Japan, using alternative linear and nonlinear unit root tests, taking into account possible structural breaks. Two types of smooth transition models—Exponential Smooth Transition Autoregressive and Asymmetric Exponential Smooth Transition Autoregressive—are employed to account for the nonlinear mean-reverting behaviour in unemployment due to heterogeneity in hiring and firing costs across firms. Four main results emerge: first, the hysteresis hypothesis is rejected for 60 % of the countries in our sample. Second, nonlinear models capture the asymmetries in unemployment dynamics over the business cycle for some countries. Third, many of the series display multiple structural breaks which might point out shifts in mean level of unemployment. Fourth, forecasting powers of our nonlinear models display poor performance against the linear AR specification. The results have policy implications for the debate on the benefits of demand or supply-side policies for tackling the current unemployment problem in Europe.

Time-varying copula models in the shipping derivatives market

Abstract: In this paper, we provide an alternative hedging method based on a popular risk indicator relating to value at risk (VaR) for shipowners to hedge spot freight rate volatility in the tanker market. To achieve this, we use a univariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model to capture the volatility characteristics of freight derivative returns and apply time-varying copula models to describe the nonlinear dependence between returns of spot and freight derivatives. Using quotes of spot freight rate and forward freight agreement (FFA) in the tanker market from January 3, 2006 to December 23, 2011, we derive the minimum VaR hedge ratios. Our main findings are as follows: First, we found significant evidence for the presence of volatility persistence in freight rate returns. Second, for dependence, we suggested that a time-varying t-copula performs best in describing how returns of spot freight rates relate to 1-month FFA returns, whereas a time-varying Gumbel copula performs much better for the description of nonlinear dependence between returns of spot freight rates and 2 and 3-month FFA returns. Third, the derived hedge ratios are associated with shipowners’ risk preferences and freight rate dynamics, which have important implications for shipowners in determining the optimal number of FFA contracts. The results provide some insights into the modeling of freight derivatives for risk management.

Impact of oil booms and busts on human capital investment in the USA

Abstract: This paper uses Census IPUMS data from 1970 to 2000 and ACS data from 2010 to estimate the impact of oil booms and busts on wages and human capital formation in the USA. The paper finds that the oil boom between 1970 and 1980 was associated with a slower growth in the relative demand for skills in the oil and gas sector and regions where the sector had a large presence. The oil boom led to a sharp rise in real wages and a modest decline in college wage premium in oil-rich regions in the USA. Using a synthetic cohort approach, the paper finds that relative to cohorts who went to high school in the pre-oil boom period, the cohort reaching high school age during the oil boom was about 1–2% points less likely to have a college degree by 2000 and 2010.

Hysteresis in unemployment? Evidence from linear and nonlinear unit root tests and tests with non-normal errors

Abstract: Hysteresis implies that shocks to unemployment have permanent effects. In this paper, we undertake a robust examination of the hysteresis hypothesis for 14 OECD countries by utilizing both linear and nonlinear unit root tests. After performing several linear unit root tests, we employ unit root tests with structural breaks and a Fourier test that allows for unknown breaks and nonlinear functional forms. To further examine the robustness of our findings, we additionally utilize tests that consider non-normal errors. Testing is undertaken using quarterly data for the time period 1983Q1–2013Q3. Overall, we find support for unit root hysteresis in 4 of the 14 countries, the traditional natural rate hypothesis in 3 countries, and the structuralist hypothesis (a natural rate with structural breaks) in 7 countries. In sum, we find that shocks to unemployment have permanent effects in 11 of the 14 countries, while the permanent effects are most often infrequent.

Real interest rates: nonlinearity and structural breaks

Abstract: Real interest rate is a crucial variable that determines the consumption, investment and saving behavior of individuals and thereby acts as a key policy tool that the central banks use to control the economy. Although many important theoretical models require the real interest rates to be stationary, the empirical evidence accumulated so far has not been able to provide conclusive evidence on the mean reverting dynamics of this variable. To resolve this puzzle we re-investigate the stochastic nature of the real interest rates by developing unit root tests for nonlinear heterogeneous panels where the alternative hypothesis allows for a smooth transition between deterministic linear trends around which stationary asymmetric adjustment may occur. When the newly developed panel unit root tests are applied to the real interest rates of the 17 OECD countries, we were able to uncover overwhelming empirical support in favor of mean reversion in the short-run and long-run real interest rates. Therefore, these results show that the conclusions drawn from a miss-specified test that ignores the presence of either nonlinearity, structural breaks or cross sectional dependence can give quite misleading results about the stochastic behavior of the real interest rates.

Volatility spillovers among global stock markets: measuring total and directional effects

Abstract: In this study we construct volatility spillover indexes for some of the major stock market indexes in the world. We use a DCC-GARCH framework for modeling the multivariate relationships of volatility among markets. Extending the framework of Diebold and Yilmaz (Int J Forecast 28(1):57–66, 2012) we compute spillover indexes directly from the series of returns considering the time-variant structure of their covariance matrices. Our spillover indexes use daily stock market data of Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA, for the period April 1996–June 2017. We obtain several relevant results. First, total spillovers exhibit substantial time series variation, being higher in moments of market turbulence. Second, the net position of each country (transmitter or receiver) does not change during the sample period. However, their intensities exhibit important time variation. Finally, transmission originates in the most developed markets, as expected. Of special relevance, even though the Chinese stock market has grown importantly over time, it is still a net receiver of volatility spillovers. However, the magnitude of net volatility reception has decreased over the last few years.

Ethnic diversity and firm performance: Evidence from China’s materials and industrial sectors

Abstract: Several studies examine the determinants of firm performance in China, but none explores the impact of ethnic diversity on firm performance. This study examines the relationship between ethnic diversity and firm performance in China by drawing on province-level indices of ethnic fractionalization and firm-level indicators of financial performance. We analyse a sample of 1079 Chinese firms in the materials and industrial sectors and find that higher ethnic heterogeneity negatively impacts on firm financial performance in these sectors. This implies that ethnic composition can explain observed divergence in firm performance of Chinese firms and that low-growth firms can gain economic benefits by minimizing ethnic heterogeneity among its workers.

Marginal effects in multivariate probit models

Abstract: Estimation of marginal or partial effects of covariates x on various conditional parameters or functionals is often a main target of applied microeconometric analysis. In the specific context of probit models, estimation of partial effects involving outcome probabilities will often be of interest. Such estimation is straightforward in univariate models, and results covering the case of quadrant probability marginal effects in bivariate probit models for jointly distributed outcomes y have previously been described in the literature. This paper's goals are to extend Greene's results to encompass the general M≥2 multivariate probit (MVP) context for arbitrary orthant probabilities and to extended these results to models that condition on subvectors of y and to multivariate ordered probit data structures. It is suggested that such partial effects are broadly useful in situations wherein multivariate outcomes are of concern.

Food assistance programs and food insecurity: implications for Canada in light of the mixing problem

Abstract: In light of concerns about high rates of food insecurity, some have suggested that it might be time for Canada to implement national food assistance programs like those provided in the US, namely the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). In this paper, we assess how adopting these types of assistance programs would change the food insecurity rate in Canada among households with children. Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), we first evaluate the causal impact of these programs on food insecurity rates in the US using the Canadian definition of food security. Following other recent evaluations of food assistance programs, we use partial identification methods to address the selection problem that arises because the decision to take up the program is not random. We then combine these estimated impacts for the US with data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) to predict how SNAP and NSLP would impact food insecurity rates in Canada. Partial identification methods are used to address the “mixing problem” that arises if some eligible Canadian households would participate in SNAP and others would not. The strength of the conclusions depends on the strength of the identifying assumptions. Under the weakest assumptions, we cannot determine whether food insecurity rates would rise or fall. Under our strongest nonparametric assumptions, we find that food insecurity would fall by at least 16% if SNAP were implemented and 11% if NSLP were implemented.

Export sophistication increases income in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from 1981–2000

Abstract: Previous studies on export diversification show that sub-Saharan African countries are at the lowest end in export diversification in the world. Recent literature also indicates the importance of export sophistication on economic development. This raises an important question whether export sophistication contributes to the income improvement in sub-Saharan African. The paper examines the causal effect of export sophistication on income in sub-Saharan Africa with panel data. By employing instrumental variables techniques and heteroskedasticity identification strategy that correct for endogeneity bias, the findings show that within-country variations in export sophistication lead to income growth. That is, a 1 % point increase in the export sophistication index is associated with an increase in GDP per capita of approximately 0.08 % points in the long run.

Fiscal policy asymmetries and the sustainability of US government debt revisited

Abstract: This paper empirically investigates US fiscal policy sustainability and cyclicality in an empirical structure that allows fiscal policy responses to exhibit asymmetric behavior. We investigate this over two quarterly intervals, both of which begin in 1955:1. The short sample ends in 1995:2 and is most similar to the one used by Bohn (Q J Econ 113:949–963, 1998), whereas the full sample ends in 2013:3. Our estimation results show that the full sample period is sufficiently different from the short sample period, that the asymmetric (nonlinear) empirical models used in this paper are important and that the sustainability of US government debt topic needed to be revisited. Indeed, the short sample provides evidence of fiscal policy sustainability in line with Bohn’s (1998) findings. However, when considering the full sample, US fiscal policy is found sustainable during good economic times only according to the best fitting nonlinear model, but unsustainable for all specifications studied during times of distress. With regard to cyclicality, both samples show policy is asymmetric. Moreover, both samples show countercyclical policy during times of distress and the full sample results show some evidence that policy may be procyclical during good economic times.

Insurance–growth nexus and macroeconomic determinants: evidence from middle-income countries

Abstract: This paper examines the causal relationships between insurance market activities, economic growth, financial depth, and government consumption expenditure. We utilize a panel vector autoregressive model to test Granger causality for 18 middle-income countries over 1980–2012—a group that has not been previously studied in this literature. The results show a robust long-run economic relationship between insurance market activities, economic growth, financial depth, and government consumption expenditure. Moreover, in the short run, we find bidirectional causality between financial depth and economic growth, between financial depth and government consumption expenditure, and between insurance market activities and government consumption expenditure. Unidirectional causality exists from insurance market activities to economic growth, from financial depth to insurance market activities, and from government consumption expenditure to economic growth.

Innovation and ICT use in the EU: an analysis of regional drivers

Abstract: Innovation and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) are key areas for the European Cohesion Policy. Studies available at the regional level explore innovation and ICT use incorporating different variables, while those investigating ICT use mainly focus on that of households. This paper investigates the existence of common factors for innovation and ICT at the regional level, considering not only ICT use by households but also that of firms. Using factorial and spatial regression analysis, we find that although ICT use and innovation are mainly explained by different variables, knowledge-intensive services and the percentage of population aged 15–64 are common to all of them. In addition, ICT use by households and ICT use by firms are basically driven by different factors. Government quality is the main factor explaining ICT use at home, while ICT use by firms is mostly driven by employment in knowledge-intensive services. R&D is the main variable explaining innovation. We also find positive spatial effects, which are particularly notable in ICT use by households. The results stress the importance of promoting specialization strategies based on the knowledge economy that may contribute to creating synergies between innovation and ICT use in different environments.