Jean-Guy Devezeaux de Lavergne

La forme flexible de Fourier: une évaluation sur données macroéconomiques

We estimate Translog and Fourier forms for three sectors of the French economy. The hypothesis that the former can be reduced to the latter is highly rejected. We show that the hypothesis of an endogenous technical change drops the autocorrelation of the disturbances in the Fourier case only. Finally we compute asymptotic confidence intervals of the elasticities of substitution for each year of our sample. Contrary to the Translog case, the results confirm that the evolutions of the Fourier elasticities have an economic sense.

Une analyse de la dynamique des comportements de substitution de facteurs dans cinq branches de l' économie française

In this study we introduce adjustement terms in the classic translog formulation. We thus obtain a dynamic form of the usual value shares of inputs. Unlike other studies of this type here we consider that quantities, but not values, are rigid. The retained functional form was estimated in five industrial sectors of French economy. The results thus obtained allow an analysis of the evolution over a period of time (1959-1982), as well as a comparison between the different sectors, of the elasticities of substitution in the long and short run.