Guohua Feng

Imposing Theoretical Regularity on Flexible Functional Forms

In this paper we build on work by Gallant and Golub (1984), Diewert and Wales (1987), and Barnett (2002) and provide a comparison among three different methods of imposing theoretical regularity on flexible functional forms—reparameterization using Cholesky factorization, constrained optimization, and Bayesian methodology. We apply the methodology to a translog cost and share equation system and make a distinction between local, regional, pointwise, and global regularity. We find that the imposition of curvature at a single point does not always assure regularity. We also find that the imposition of global concavity (at all possible, positive input prices), irrespective of the method used, exaggerates the elasticity estimates and rules out the possibility of a complementarity relationship among the inputs. Finally, we find that constrained optimization and the Bayesian methodology with regional (over a neighborhood of data points in the sample) or pointwise (at every data point in the sample) concavity imposed can guarantee inference consistent with neoclassical microeconomic theory, without compromising much of the flexibility of the functional form.

SEMI-NONPARAMETRIC ESTIMATES OF CURRENCY SUBSTITUTION BETWEEN THE CANADIAN DOLLAR AND THE U.S. DOLLAR

In this paper we investigate the issue of whether a floating currency is the right exchange rate regime for Canada or whether Canada should consider a currency union with the United States. In the context of the framework recently proposed by James L. Swofford, we use a semi-nonparametric flexible functional form—the asymptotically ideal model (AIM), introduced by William A. Barnett and A. Jonas—and pay explicit attention to the theoretical regularity conditions of neoclassical microeconomic theory, following the suggestions of William A. Barnett and William A. Barnett and Meenakshi Pasupathy. Our results indicate that U.S. dollar deposits are complements to domestic (Canadian) monetary assets, suggesting that Canada should continue the current exchange rate regime, allowing the exchange rate to float freely with no intervention in the foreign exchange market by the Bank of Canada.

Productivity trends in the United States

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate productivity growth and technical progress bias in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – Following the work of Kohli in 1978 and Diewert and Wales in 1992, the paper estimates output supply and input demand functions in the context of a normalized quadratic (NQ) variable profit function using US data (over a period from 1960 to 2002) on six goods: output, exports, imports, labour, reproducible capital, and fixed capital. Findings – Results show that the NQ variable profit function with linear splines works very well and the technique for determining structural breaks is effective. Estimates show that the US productivity rate in the last decade recovered in a stepwise manner, rather than jumped overnight in 1996 (as some previous studies have suggested), and that the US productivity revival after 1995 has been volatile and fragile. Originality/value – This paper highlights productivity trends in the USA.

Estimation of Technical Change and Price Elasticities: A Categorical Time-varying Coefficient Approach

In this paper we propose a categorical time-varying coefficient translog cost function to estimate technical change and productivity. The primary feature of this model is that each of its coefficients is expressed as a nonparametric function of a categorical time variable, thereby allowing each time period to have its own set of coefficients and thus its own cost function. Our application of this model to a panel of 80 electricity firms in the U.S. over the period 1986-1998 reveals that this model offers two major advantages over the traditional time trend representation of technical change: (1) it is capable of producing estimates of productivity growth that closely track those obtained using the Tornqvist approximation to the Divisia index; and (2) it can solve a well-known problem commonly referred to as the problem of trending elasticities.

Productivity and Efficiency at Bank Holding Companies in the U.S.: A Time-Varying Heterogeneity Approach

This paper investigates the productivity and efficiency of large bank holding companies (BHCs) in the United States over the period 2004–2013, by estimating a translog stochastic distance frontier (SDF) model with time-varying heterogeneity. The main feature of this model is that a multi-factor structure is used to disentangle time-varying unobserved heterogeneity from inefficiency. Our empirical results strongly suggest that unobserved heterogeneity is not only present in the U.S. banking industry, but also varies over time. Our results from the translog SDF model with time- varying heterogeneity show that the majority of large BHCs in the U.S. exhibit increasing returns to scale, a small percentage exhibit constant returns to scale, and an even smaller percentage exhibit decreasing returns to scale. Our results also show that on average the BHCs have experienced small positive or even negative technical change and productivity growth.

PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXTERNALITIES IN U.S. MANUFACTURING: EVIDENCE FROM THE PRICE-AUGMENTING AIM COST FUNCTION

In this paper, we propose a price-augmenting asymptotically ideal model (AIM) cost function to investigate the effects of public infrastructure on the performance of the U.S. manufacturing industry, using KLEMS data over the period from 1953 to 2001. In doing so, we make a distinction between the productivity effect and the production factor effect of public infrastructure. This distinction allows us to focus on the more interesting productivity effect by incorporating public infrastructure into the AIM cost function through the efficiency index. Moreover, we specify the growth rate of the efficiency index as a Box–Cox function of public infrastructure and a time trend, a proxy for other technology. The excellent flexibility of our price-augmenting AIM cost function offers many insights regarding the effects of infrastructure on the U.S. manufacturing sector.