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This paper presents two applications of empirical microeconomics based on choice theoretic optimization principles. The first topic explores the determinants of subsistence time allocation in a utility theoretic model of household production. The second topic examines firm pricing behavior in a deregulated, but concentrated industry setting. The first part of this applied microeconomic analysis estimates the subsistence time versus wage labor time allocations of Alaska's North Slope inhabitants using ordered probit based on a household production model. The explanatory variables measure labor supply, demographic, and cultural influences. The major findings are as follows. First parameter estimates differ statistically and substantially between Inupiat versus non-Inupiat residents, implying that optimal natural resource management decisions may vary with the ethnicity of the resource owners. Second, marital status, age, gender, and participation in generalized gift giving and receiving are important determinants of subsistence time allocations. Third, time spent in wage labor appears to be exogenous to the subsistence time allocation decision, indicating that the time allocation process is recursive. Fourth, we find an inverse relationship between wage labor time and subsistence participation. This means that reductions in wage employment opportunities lead to increased subsistence activity. For the North Slope, this implies that Prudhoe oil depletion will result in an increase in the use of subsistence natural resources. The second part of this study turns from the individual behavior to firm behavior. During the 1980's, researchers have noted a trend towards increased concentration in the general freight, less-than-truckload (LTL) portion of the U.S. motor carrier industry. The purpose of this study is to employ new empirical industrial organization (NEIO) techniques to determine whether the more concentrated post-1980, LTL motor carrier industry is exerting anti-competitive monopoly pricing behavior. The NEIO approach is used to formulate the relationship between market price and marginal cost in what is referred to as the representative firm's 'supply relation.' The firm's supply relation is estimated jointly with the cost function and the factor share equations under the assumption that cross equation disturbance terms are correlated (SUR). An instrumental variables procedure is used to test and control for correlation between output (on the right hand side) and the disturbance terms in the cost and supply equations. The results indicate that the trend toward increased industry concentration does not imply anti-competitive performance in the sense of rising price-cost margins. / Graduation date: 1994

Economic statistics are often taken as given facts, assumed to describe exactly, actual phenomena in society. Many economic series are published in various forms from preliminary, via revisions to definitive estimates. Preliminary series are issued for a number of central economic processes in order to allow for rapid, up-to-date signals. This dissertation focuses on qualitative aspects of available data, and effects of possible inaccuracy when data are used for economic modelling, analysis and planning. Four main questions are addressed: How to characterize quality of data for central economic time series? What effects may possible inaccuracies in data have when used in econometric modelling? What effects do inaccuracies and errors in data have when models are used for economic analysis and planning? Is it possible to specify a criterion for deciding the cost-effective quality of data to be produced as input for economic policy analysis? The various realizations of economic variables often show considerable systematic as well as stochastic discrepancies for the same quantity. Preliminary series are generally found to be of questionable quality, but still considerably better than simple trend forecasts. Compared with the situation in a few other industrialized countries, the variability of Swedish economic statistics is, though, not extraordinary. Illustrations of effects of using inaccurate data, especially of combining preliminary, revised and definitive observations in the same model, are presented. Such inconsistent combinations of various realizations are in actual fact found in many open sources. Inclusion of preliminary series tends to indicate stronger changes in the economy than when definite observations are used throughout. The study is concluded with a section on cost-benefit aspects of economic statistics, and a sketch model for appraising data of variable quality is proposed. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.

This study examines and compares farmers' succession plans and actual succession behaviour and finds that the farm operator's age and regional variables influence both. We also find a discrepancy between intention and actual behaviour which is significantly related to the farm operator's age. Whereas the likelihood of planned succession is overestimated significantly for younger farm operators, the opposite is observed once the farm operator's age exceeds 65 years. Therefore, stated plans have only a negligible value in predicting the observed behaviour and farm operator's statements on the timing of succession may not provide enough information on the grounds of designing structural policies in agriculture. (author's abstract) / Series: Discussion Papers SFB International Tax Coordination

Understanding joint and causal relationships among multiple endogenous variables has been of much interest to researchers in the field of activity and travel behavior modeling. Structural equation models have been widely developed for modeling and analyzing the causal relationships among travel time, activity duration, car ownership, trip frequency and activity frequency. In the model, travel time and activity duration are treated as continuous variables, while car ownership, trip frequency and activity frequency as ordered discrete variables. However, many endogenous variables of interest in travel behavior are not continuous or ordered discrete but unordered discrete in nature, such as mode choice, destination choice, trip chaining pattern and time-of-day choice (it can be classified into a few categories such as AM peak, midday, PM peak and off-peak). A modeling methodology with involvement of unordered discrete variables is highly desired for better understanding the causal relationships among these variables. Under this background, the proposed dissertation study will be dedicated into seeking an appropriate modeling methodology which aids in identifying the causal relationships among activity and travel variables including unordered discrete variables. In this dissertation, the proposed modeling methodologies are applied for modeling the causal relationship between three pairs of endogenous variables: trip chaining pattern vs. mode choice, activity timing vs. duration and trip departure time vs.mode choice. The data used for modeling analysis is extracted from Swiss Travel Microcensus 2000. Such models provide us with rigorous criteria in selecting a reasonable application sequence of sub-models in the activity-based travel demand model system.

The accurate (exact) prediction of tax revenue is a very important task for state budget planning. Both underestimation and overestimation of the planned revenue could cause problems in case the revenue is used to finance government functions. In the past few years planning of profit tax revenue was not very exact: the sum of the profit tax collected was considerably smaller or considerably larger than the planned profit tax revenue. The difference between the actual and planned revenue was about 12–56 % every year. There are several related factors which aggravate profit tax revenue modelling. It is doubtful if the indicator of profit tax revenue is stationary. The assumption of the stationarity of indicators is usually made when applying econometric models to the indicators. This problem is caused by a frequent change of the Profit tax law. In addition, transitional processes, invoked by privatization, integration to EU, and etc were typical of the Lithuanian economy in the past few years. Therefore very general equations used to describe the profit tax revenue of macroeconometric models of many countries are not relevant to model and predict the profit tax revenue in Lithuania. In order to predict budget revenues accurately, their modelling methodology needs to be created so as to be effective in the situation where regression relations are complicated while disposable series of observations are rather short (the quarterly profit indicators have been known since 1998 in... [to full text]

The accurate (exact) prediction of tax revenue is a very important task for state budget planning. Both underestimation and overestimation of the planned revenue could cause problems in case the revenue is used to finance government functions. In the past few years planning of profit tax revenue was not very exact: the sum of the profit tax collected was considerably smaller or considerably larger than the planned profit tax revenue. The difference between the actual and planned revenue was about 12–56 % every year. There are several related factors which aggravate profit tax revenue modelling. It is doubtful if the indicator of profit tax revenue is stationary. The assumption of the stationarity of indicators is usually made when applying econometric models to the indicators. This problem is caused by a frequent change of the Profit tax law. In addition, transitional processes, invoked by privatization, integration to EU, and etc were typical of the Lithuanian economy in the past few years. Therefore very general equations used to describe the profit tax revenue of macroeconometric models of many countries are not relevant to model and predict the profit tax revenue in Lithuania. In order to predict budget revenues accurately, their modelling methodology needs to be created so as to be effective in the situation where regression relations are complicated while disposable series of observations are rather short (the quarterly profit indicators have been known since 1998 in... [to full text]

Magistro darbą „Finansinių konglomeratų veiklos efektyvumo tyrimas“ sudaro keturios pagrindinės dalys: problemos analizė, teoriniai ir praktiniais sprendimai bei išvados. Pirmoje darbo dalyje analizuojama finansinių konglomeratų veiklos efektyvumo problema, susijusi su jų tarptautine ir tarpsektorine integracija. Aptariamos pagrindinės finansinių konglomeratų formavosi priežastys ir tikslai, galimos problemos ir jų sprendimo būdai. Antros dalies pradžioje nagrinėjama finansinio konglomerato sąvoka ir organizacinės struktūros. Vėliau atliekama teorinė šių finansinių organizacijų veikos efektyvumo metodologijų analizė taikant finansinę santykinę analizę bei neparametrines ir parametrines ekonometrines procedūras. Trečioji darbo dalis pateikia praktinį finansinių konglomeratų su skirtingomis organizacinėmis struktūromis veiklos efektyvumo sprendimą pasauliniu ir Lietuvos mastu, naudojant neparametrinę duomenų gaubiamąją analizę (DEA) ir finansinę santykinę analizę. Paskutinėje darbo dalyje apibendrinami viso darbo rezultatai, susiję su efektyviausiai veikiančia finansinės konglomeracijos organizacine struktūra. Magistro darbe yra 13 paveikslų, 13 lentelių, 27 formulės ir 12 priedų. Darbo pabaigoje nurodoma darbe naudota literatūra, sudaryta iš 70 literatūros šaltinių. / Master‘s Work „Efficiency Analysis of Financial Conglomerates“ consists of four main chapters: problem analysis, theoretical and practical sulutions and general conclusions of the paper work. The first chapter analyse the efficiency of financial conglomerates spurred by international and cross sectoral financial integration. The research based on aims, backgrounds and highlight issues raised by financial conglomeration. The definitions and organizational structures of financial conglomeration are set in the begining of the second chapter. There in after teorethical researches in methodology of cost and profit efficiency due to relative analysis of essential finance indexes and parametric and nonparametric approaches. In terms of organizational structure of financial conglomerates, the third chapter presents practical efficiency sulutions worlwide and in the context of today’s Lithuania. Fundamental assesments were made using nonpametric Data Envelopment Approach and traditional relative indexes Analysis. In the last chapter are produced aggregate conclusions of the entire Master‘s Work. There are 13 pictures, 13 tables, 27 formulas and 12 affixes used in the paper. The list of the 70 scientific literatures sources is presented at the end of the work.