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1998

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Yale Political Quarterly 1998 December, The Politic, Inc. Dec 1998

The Yale Political Quarterly 1998 December, The Politic, Inc.

The Politic

No abstract provided.


Cheap Talk And Co-Ordination With Payoff Uncertainty, Sandeep Baliga, Stephen Morris Dec 1998

Cheap Talk And Co-Ordination With Payoff Uncertainty, Sandeep Baliga, Stephen Morris

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Two players seek to co-ordinate their behavior in an incomplete information setting. We show that if each player’s preferences over his opponent’s action is independent of his own action or type, then cheap talk cannot expand the set of equilibrium outcomes.


A Theory Of The Onset Of Currency Attacks, Stephen Morris, Hyun Song Shin Dec 1998

A Theory Of The Onset Of Currency Attacks, Stephen Morris, Hyun Song Shin

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The swiftness and devastating impact of recent financial crises have taken many market participants by surprise, and pose challenges for economists seeking a theory of the onset of a crisis. We propose such a theory based on two features. The actions of diverse economic actors which undermine the currency are mutually reinforcing, while the fragmented nature of the media create small disparities in their information. In such circumstances, the beliefs of market participants can be tracked in the same way as the economic fundamentals, and an attack is triggered when the economic fundamentals deteriorate sufficiently to fall below the minimum …


Estimating Yield Curves By Kernel Smoothing Methods, Oliver B. Linton, E. Mammen, Jens Perch Nielsen, C. Tanggaard Dec 1998

Estimating Yield Curves By Kernel Smoothing Methods, Oliver B. Linton, E. Mammen, Jens Perch Nielsen, C. Tanggaard

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We introduce a new method for the estimation of discount functions, yield curves and forward curves for coupon bonds. Our approach is nonparametric and does not assume a particular functional form for the discount function although we do show how to impose various important restrictions in the estimation. Our method is based on kernel smoothing and is defined as the minimum of some localized population moment condition. The solution to the sample problem is not explicit and our estimation procedure is iterative, rather like the backfitting method of estimating additive nonparametric models. We establish the asymptotic normality of our methods …


Dynamic Common Agency, Dirk Bergemann, Juuso Välimäki Dec 1998

Dynamic Common Agency, Dirk Bergemann, Juuso Välimäki

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We consider a general model of dynamic common agency with symmetric information. We focus on Markov perfect equilibria and characterize the equilibrium set for a refinement of the Markov perfect equilibria. Particular attention is given to the existence of a marginal contribution equilibrium where each principal receives her contribution to the coalition of agent and remaining principals. The structure of the intertemporal payoffs is analyzed in terms of the flow marginal contribution. As a byproduct, new results for the static common agency game are obtained. The general characterization results are then applied to two dynamic bidding games for a common …


Fiat Money And The Efficient Financing Of The Float, Production And Consumption. Part I: The Float, Martin Shubik Nov 1998

Fiat Money And The Efficient Financing Of The Float, Production And Consumption. Part I: The Float, Martin Shubik

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The basic distinction in the optimization conditions between the general equilibrium model of a T period exchange economy and a strategic market game process model is between a set of equations homogeneous of order zero and a set of nonhomogeneous equations. The latter have an amount M of outside or fiat money added to the system. If there is an outside bank willing to lend or accept deposits at an interest rate rho > 0 at the end of time T the initial amount of money M will have been consumed in interest payments to the outside bank. The price level …


Nota Bene; Volume Xii, Number Iii, Yale University Library Oct 1998

Nota Bene; Volume Xii, Number Iii, Yale University Library

Nota Bene

Nota Bene is published during the academic year to acquaint the Yale community and others with the resources of the Yale Library.


The Yale Political Quarterly 1998 October, The Politic, Inc. Oct 1998

The Yale Political Quarterly 1998 October, The Politic, Inc.

The Politic

No abstract provided.


Price Competition For An Informed Buyer, Giuseppe Moscarini, Marco Ottaviani Oct 1998

Price Competition For An Informed Buyer, Giuseppe Moscarini, Marco Ottaviani

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We investigate the outcomes of simultaneous price competition in the presence of private information on the demand side. Each of two sellers offers a different variety of a good to a buyer endowed with a private binary signal on their relative quality. We analyze how the unique equilibrium of the game changes as a function of the (common) prior belief on the relative quality of the goods and the precision of the private information of the buyer. Competition is fierce, and the buyer enjoys high rents, when the prior belief is biased in favor of one good and private signals …


Jeffreys Prior Analysis Of The Simultaneous Equations Model In The Case With N + 1 Endogenous Variables, John C. Chao, Peter C.B. Phillips Oct 1998

Jeffreys Prior Analysis Of The Simultaneous Equations Model In The Case With N + 1 Endogenous Variables, John C. Chao, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper analyzes the behavior of posterior distributions under the Jeffreys prior in a simultaneous equations model. The case under study is that of a general limited information setup with n +1 endogenous variables. The Jeffreys prior is shown to give rise to a marginal posterior density which has Cauchy-like tails similar to that exhibited by the exact finite sample distribution of the corresponding LIML estimator. A stronger correspondence is established in the special case of a just-identified orthonormal canonical model, where the posterior density under the Jeffreys prior is shown to have the same functional form as the density …


Rissanen's Theorem And Econometric Time Series, Werner Ploberger, Peter C.B. Phillips Oct 1998

Rissanen's Theorem And Econometric Time Series, Werner Ploberger, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In a typical empirical modeling context, the data generating process (DGP) of a time series is assumed to be known up to a finite-dimensional parameter. In such cases, Rissanen’s (1986) theorem provides a lower bound for the empirically achievable distance between all possible data-based models and the true DGP. This distance depends only on the dimension of the parameter space. The present paper examines the empirical relevance of this notion to econometric time series and discusses a new version of the theorem that allows for nonstationary DGP’s. Nonstationarity is relevant in many economic applications and it is shown that the …


New Unit Root Asymptotics In The Presence Of Deterministric Trends, Peter C.B. Phillips Oct 1998

New Unit Root Asymptotics In The Presence Of Deterministric Trends, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Recent work by the author (1998) has shown that stochastic trends can be validly represented in empirical regressions in terms of deterministic functions of time. These representations offer an alternative mechanism for modelling stochastic trends. It is shown here that the alternate representations affect the asymptotics of all commonly used unit root tests in the presence of trends. In particular, the critical values of unit root tests diverge when the number of deterministic regressors K approaches infinity as the sample size n approaches infinity. In such circumstances, use of conventional critical values based on fixed K will lead to rejection …


The Health Of Nations: Irving Fisher And The Contribution Of Improved Longevity To Living Standard, William D. Nordhaus Oct 1998

The Health Of Nations: Irving Fisher And The Contribution Of Improved Longevity To Living Standard, William D. Nordhaus

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Among Irving Fisher’s many contributions to economics, one that is little noted and barely remembered is his emphasis on the economic importance of health. For the most part, his concern was in promoting healthy life styles. In addition, he made an early (perhaps the earliest) estimate of the impact of mortality and morbidity on national output.


Requiem For Kyoto: An Economic Analysis Of The Kyoto Protocol, William D. Nordhaus, Joseph G. Boyer Oct 1998

Requiem For Kyoto: An Economic Analysis Of The Kyoto Protocol, William D. Nordhaus, Joseph G. Boyer

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper uses the newly developed RICE-98 model to analyze the economics of the Kyoto Protocol. It analyzes versions of the Kyoto Protocol that have different approaches to trading emissions rights and compares these with efficient approaches. The major conclusions are: (a) the global cost of the Kyoto Protocol is $716 billion in present value, (b) the United States bears almost two-thirds of the global cost;and (c) the benefit-cost ratio of the Kyoto Protocol is 1/7. Additionally, the emissions strategy is highly cost-ineffective, with the global temperature reduction achieved at a cost almost 8 times the cost of a strategy …


Finance Applications Of Game Theory, Franklin Allen, Stephen Morris Sep 1998

Finance Applications Of Game Theory, Franklin Allen, Stephen Morris

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Traditional finance theory based on the assumptions of symmetric information and perfect and competitive markets has provided many important insights. These include the Modigliani and Miller Theorems, the CAPM, the Efficient Markets Hypothesis and continuous time finance. However, many empirical phenomena are difficult to reconcile with this traditional framework. Game theoretic techniques have allowed insights into a number of these. Many puzzles remain. This paper argues that recent advances in game theory concerned with higher order beliefs, informational cascades and heterogeneous prior beliefs have the potential to provide insights into some of these remaining puzzles.


A Primer On Unit Root Testing, Peter C.B. Phillips, Zhijie Xiao Aug 1998

A Primer On Unit Root Testing, Peter C.B. Phillips, Zhijie Xiao

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The immense literature and diversity of unit root tests can at times be confusing even to the specialist and presents a truly daunting prospect to the uninitiated. In consequence, much empirical work still makes use of the simplest testing procedures because it is unclear from the literature and from recent reviews which tests if any are superior. This paper presents a survey of unit root theory with an emphasis on testing principles and recent developments. The general framework adopted makes it possible to consider tests of stochastic trends against trend stationarity and trend breaks of a general type. The main …


Higher Order Approximations For Wald Statistics In Cointegrating Regressions, Zhijie Xiao, Peter C.B. Phillips Aug 1998

Higher Order Approximations For Wald Statistics In Cointegrating Regressions, Zhijie Xiao, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Asymptotic expansions are developed for Wald test statistics in cointegrating regression models. These expansions provide an opportunity to reduce size distortion in testing by suitable bandwidth selection, and automated rules for doing so are calculated. Band spectral regression methods and tests are also considered. In such cases, it is shown how the effects of nonstationarity that dominate low frequency limit behaviour also carry over to high frequency asymptotics, with consequential effects on bandwidth rules.


Would A Privatized Social Security System Really Pay A Higher Rate Of Return, John Geanakoplos, Olivia S. Mitchell, Stephen P. Zeldes Aug 1998

Would A Privatized Social Security System Really Pay A Higher Rate Of Return, John Geanakoplos, Olivia S. Mitchell, Stephen P. Zeldes

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Many advocates of social security privatization argue that rates of return under a defined contribution individual account system would be much higher for all than they are under the current social security system. This claim is false. The mistake comes from ignoring accrued benefits already promised based on past payroll taxes, and from underestimating the riskiness of stock investments. Confusion arises because three distinct reforms are muddled. By privatization we mean creating individual accounts (which could, for example, be invested exclusively in bonds). By diversification we mean investing in stocks, and perhaps other assets, as well as bonds; diversification might …


Social Security Money's Worth, John Geanakoplos, Olivia S. Mitchell, Stephen P. Zeldes Aug 1998

Social Security Money's Worth, John Geanakoplos, Olivia S. Mitchell, Stephen P. Zeldes

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper describes how three money’s worth measures — the benefit-to-tax ratio, the internal rate of return, and the net present value — are calculated and used in analyses of social security reforms, including systems with privately managed individual accounts invested in equities. Declining returns from the U.S. social security system prove to be the inevitable result of having instituted an unfunded (pay-as-you-go) retirement system that delivered $7.9 trillion of net transfers (in 1997 present value dollars) to people born before 1917, and will deliver another $1.8 trillion to people born between 1918 and 1937. But young and future workers …


Nonlinear Regressions With Integrated Time Series, Joon Y. Park, Peter C.B. Phillips Aug 1998

Nonlinear Regressions With Integrated Time Series, Joon Y. Park, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

An asymptotic theory is developed for nonlinear regression with integrated processes. The models allow for nonlinear effects from unit root time series and therefore deal with the case of parametric nonlinear cointegration. The theory covers integrable, asymptotically homogeneous and explosive functions. Sufficient conditions for weak consistency are given and a limit distribution theory is provided. In general, the limit theory is mixed normal with mixing variates that depend on the sojourn time of the limiting Brownian motion of the integrated process. The rates of convergence depend on the properties of the nonlinear regression function, and are shown to be as …


How To Estimate Autoregressive Roots Near Units, Peter C.B. Phillips, Hyungsik Roger Moon, Zhijie Xiao Aug 1998

How To Estimate Autoregressive Roots Near Units, Peter C.B. Phillips, Hyungsik Roger Moon, Zhijie Xiao

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

A new model of near integration is formulated in which the local to unity parameter is identifiable and consistently estimable with time series data. The properties of the model are investigated, new functional laws for near integrated time series are obtained, and consistent estimators of the localizing parameter are constructed. The model provides a more complete interface between I(0) and I(1) models than the traditional local to unity model and leads to autoregressive coefficient estimates with rates of convergence that vary continuously between the O(/n) rate of stationary autoregression, the O(n) rate of unit root regression and the power rate …


A Monetary Policy: Recent Theory And Practice, James Tobin Jul 1998

A Monetary Policy: Recent Theory And Practice, James Tobin

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The paper reviews the major developments of the last three decades: the rise and fall of monetarism as theory and as targeting of intermediate monetary aggregates; targeting of nominal GDP in order to escape volatility of velocity of money; the abandonment of intermediate targets as superfluous; the use of money-market interest rates as operating procedure, except in the U.S.; their replacement by reserve aggregates in 1970–82; inflation stability and price level stability as policy objectives, often exclusive of other macroeconomic goals; the U.S. Federal Reserve as aiming successfully at both low inflation and low unemployment, goals mandated by law; the …


Financial Globalization: Can National Currencies Survive?, James Tobin Jul 1998

Financial Globalization: Can National Currencies Survive?, James Tobin

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Fixed exchange rate, pegs to hard currencies that can be adjusted, are fragile, the more so the more mobile are capital funds across currencies and national markets. Once market participants doubt, for whatever reason, the ability of a developing or emerging economy’s central bank to meet its commitment to redeem it currency in hard currency at the promised rate, they will race to claim the country’s external reserves. Vulnerability to crises becomes greater as financial markets become less regulated and more internationally open. To escape currency crises, a country may lock its money to that of a reserve-currency country, as …


Nonparametric Censored Regression, Arthur Lewbel, Oliver B. Linton Jul 1998

Nonparametric Censored Regression, Arthur Lewbel, Oliver B. Linton

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The nonparametric censored regression model is y = max [ c , m ( x ) + e ], where both the regression function m ( x ) and the distribution of the error e are unknown, but the fixed censoring point c is known. This paper provides a simple consistent estimator of the derivative of m ( x ) with respect to each element of x. The convergence rate of this estimator is the same as for the derivatives of an uncensored nonparametric regression. We then estimate the regression function itself by solving the associated partial differential equation system. …


Social Security And Institutions For Intergenerational, Intragenerational And International Risk Sharing, Robert J. Shiller Jul 1998

Social Security And Institutions For Intergenerational, Intragenerational And International Risk Sharing, Robert J. Shiller

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Social security system old age insurance systems are devices for the sharing of income risks of elderly people with others. Risks can be shared intergenerationally (with the young of the same country), intragenerationally (with other elderly of the same country) or internationally (with foreigners). Barriers to individuals themselves sharing their risks intergenerationally, intragenerationally or internationally are described. Optimal design of government-sponsored social security systems is considered in light of these barriers. Alternative benefits and contributions formulas for pay-as-you-go social security systems are defined and compared with existing and proposed formulas in terms of their ability to fulfill the government’s role …


Asymptotics For Nonlinear Transformations Of Integrated Time Series, Joon Y. Park, Peter C.B. Phillips Jun 1998

Asymptotics For Nonlinear Transformations Of Integrated Time Series, Joon Y. Park, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

An asymptotic theory for stochastic processes generated from nonlinear transformations of nonstationary integrated time series is developed. Various nonlinear functions of integrated series such as ARIMA time series are studied, and the asymptotic distributions of sample moments of such functions are obtained and analyzed. The transformations considered in the paper include a variety of functions that are used in practical nonlinear statistical analysis. It is shown that their asymptotic theory is quite different from that of integrated processes and stationary time series. When the transformation function is exponentially explosive, for instance, the convergence rate of sample functions is path-dependent. In …


A Strategic Market Game With Active Bankruptcy, John Geanakoplos, Ioannis Karatzas, Martin Shubik, William D. Sudderth Jun 1998

A Strategic Market Game With Active Bankruptcy, John Geanakoplos, Ioannis Karatzas, Martin Shubik, William D. Sudderth

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We construct stationary Markov equilibria for an economy with fiat money, one non-durable commodity, countably-many time periods, and a continuum of agents. The total production of commodity remains constant, but individual agents’ endowments fluctuate in a random fashion, from period to period. In order to hedge against these random fluctuations, agents find it useful to hold fiat money which they can borrow or deposit at appropriate rates of interest; such activity may take place either at a central bank (which fixes interest rates judiciously) or through a money-market (in which interest rates are determined endogenously). We carry out an equilibrium …


Econometric Analysis Of Fisher’S Equation, Peter C.B. Phillips Jun 1998

Econometric Analysis Of Fisher’S Equation, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Fisher’s equation for the determination of the real rate of interest is studied from a fresh econometric perspective. Some new methods of data description for nonstationary time series are introduced. The methods provide a nonparametric mechanism for modelling the spatial densities of a time series that displays random wandering characteristics, like interest rates and inflation. Hazard rate functionals are also constructed, an asymptotic theory is given and the techniques are illustrated in some empirical applications to real interest rates for the US. The paper ends by calculating Gaussian semiparametric estimates of long range dependence in US real interest rates, using …


Nonstationary Density Estimation And Kernel Autoregression, Peter C.B. Phillips, Joon Y. Park Jun 1998

Nonstationary Density Estimation And Kernel Autoregression, Peter C.B. Phillips, Joon Y. Park

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

An asymptotic theory is developed for the kernel density estimate of a random walk and the kernel regression estimator of a nonstationary first order autoregression. The kernel density estimator provides a consistent estimate of the local time spent by the randon walk in the spatial vicinity of a point that is determined in part by the argument of the density and in part by initial conditions. The kernel regression estimator is shown to be consistent and to have a mixed normal limit theory. The limit distribution has a mixing variate that is given by the reciprocal of the local time …


Game Theory, Complexity And Simplicity. Part Iii: Critique And Prospective, Martin Shubik Jun 1998

Game Theory, Complexity And Simplicity. Part Iii: Critique And Prospective, Martin Shubik

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

A discussion of some of the problems in the utilization of game theoretic solution concepts is given. It is suggested that a considerable broadening of solution concepts is called for to take into account sufficient context. Mass agent simulations appear to offer promise for some economic and societal problems.