this paper examines the lewis theory of structural change in iran in the period 1974-2005. where labor productivity growth and the intensive use of labor occurs via reallocation of labor between sectors or spillovers in the production from the manufacturing or service sectors to agriculture resulting to convergence. assessing whether productivity gap is reducing or increasing, takes us to the n...

In more recent years, it has become increasingly recognized that R&D (research and development) is a key driver of economic growth, a source of innovation and change, and as such stimulates improvements in productivity and economic competitiveness. It is closely associated with knowledge and flexibility, two factors that have gained new significance as a source of competitiveness in an increasi...

The paper focuses on regional trade agreements and economic co-operation and develops a new appropriate approach to study their impact on growth and trade. The approach is based on an endogenous trade-growth theory and novelly specified in an economic integration (expenditure) framework which is the conceptual foundation of regional trade agreements. Importantly, it also appropriately takes int...

This paper presents an optimal portfolio selection approach based on value at risk (VaR), conditional value at risk (CVaR), worst-case value at risk (WVaR) and partitioned value at risk (PVaR) measures as well as calculating these risk measures. Mathematical solution methods for solving these optimization problems are inadequate and very complex for a portfolio with high number of assets. For t...

objectives in order to increase the classification accuracy of airs, this study introduces a new hybrid system that incorporates a support vector machine into airs for diagnosing tuberculosis. background tuberculosis (tb) is a major global health problem, which has been ranked as the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide. diagnosis based on cultured specimens is the...

We examine the interaction between risk (uncertainty) and production efficiency in determining pay-performance sensitivity in optimal executive compensation. Particularly, we show that the risk-incentive trade-off is exacerbated (attenuated) as production efficiency increases when the efficiency level is greater (less) than the level of compensation risk. This result suggests that the optimalit...

We examine global dynamics under infinite-horizon learning in New Keynesian models where monetary policy practices either pricelevel or nominal GDP targeting and compare these regimes to inflation targeting. These interest-rate rules are subject to the zero lower bound. Robustness of the three rules in learning adjustment are compared using criteria for the domain of attraction of the targeted ...

This paper empirically examines the role of diversification in export markets on firm-level R&D activities taking account of the potential endogeneity in this relationship. We show that geographical sales diversification across different regions of the world induces UK firms to increase their R&D expenditures, as firms must innovate and develop new products to maintain a competitive edge over t...

Stochastic optimization identifies the asset allocation that minimizes the probability of exhausting the retirement portfolio, thereby minimizing risk, from unmanaged (constant) and optimally managed withdrawals over the retirement life span. Optimal equity compositions and minimized probabilities of prematurely exhausting the portfolio increase with higher withdrawal rates and earlier retireme...

Taxes, Cigarette Consumption, and Smoking Intensity: Reply This paper shows that smoking intensity, i.e. the amount of nicotine extracted per cigarette smoked, responds to changes in excise taxes and tobacco prices. We exploit data covering the period 1988 to 2006 across many US states. Moreover, we provide new evidence on the importance of cotinine measures in explaining long-run smoking behav...