The present paper provides first microlevel (indirect) empirical evidence on changes in the determinants of firm profitability, the role of fixed and sunk costs, as well as the nature of competition for a transition economy. We estimate size thresholds required to support different numbers of firms for four retail and professional service industries in a large number of geographic markets in Sl...

If menu costs have a non-negligible lump-sum component and with larger firms having greater benefits from price adjustments, then larger firms will change price more frequently than smaller firms. Data from New Zealand firms support this hypothesis. Price duration decreases as firm size increases. Ordered probit analysis indicates the effect comes primarily from larger firms being more likely t...

We estimate the relation between binary responses and corresponding covariate vectors, both observed over a large spatial lattice. We assume a hierarchical generalized linear model with probit link function, partition the lattice into blocks, and adopt the working assumption of independence between the blocks to obtain an easily solved estimating equation. Standard errors are obtained using the...

We show that the distributions of random coefficients in various discrete choice models are nonparametrically identified. Our identification results apply to static discrete choice models including binary logit, multinomial logit, nested logit, and probit models as well as to dynamic programming discrete choice models. In these models the only key condition we need to verify for identification ...

The familiar logit and probit models provide convenient settings for many binary response applications, but a larger class of link functions may be occasionally desirable. Two parametric families of link functions are investigated: the Gosset link based on the Student t latent variable model with the degrees of freedom parameter controlling the tail behavior, and the Pregibon link based on the ...

We introduce a new nonparametric regression estimator that uses prior information on regression shape in the form of a parametric model. In e!ect, we nonparametrically encompass the parametric model. We obtain estimates of the regression function and its derivatives along with local parameter estimates that can be interpreted from within the parametric model. We establish the uniform consistenc...

The estimation of conditional probability distribution functions (PDFs) in a kernel nonparametric framework has recently received attention. As emphasized by Hall, Racine & Li (2004), these conditional PDFs are extremely useful for a range of tasks including modelling and predicting consumer choice. The aim of this paper is threefold. First, we implement nonparametric kernel estimation of PDF w...

We propose a model for a point-referenced spatially correlated ordered categorical response and methodology for estimation of model parameters. Models and methods for spatially correlated continuous response data are widespread, but models for spatially correlated categorical data, and especially ordered multicategory data, are less developed. Bayesian models and methodology have been proposed ...