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In this paper, a switching regression model is developed to analyze farmers' choice behavior and cost efficiency in field plowing arrangement in Taiwan. We find that the decision on the choice of plowing arrangement is determined by a cost comparison between self-plowing and hired-service, and other non-cost considerations, such as the availability of family labor and machinery, education level, non-farm income, age, and regional effects. Across a spectrum of farmer characteristics, empirical results indicate a potentially substantial cost-savings by hiring service for field plowing than by self-plowing. Self-plowing farmers also subject to a significant level of cost inefficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the proposed semiparametric smooth coefficient model for studying general regression relationship with varying coefficients. Estimation of the smooth coefficient function; Establishment of asymptotic distribution of semiparametric estimator; Decrease of the labor elasticity of output.

OLS and BLUS residuals in the classical linear regression model are compared with respect to testing the normality of regression disturbances. It is shown that in theory both types of residuals suffer from the common problem of lack of independence under the alternative hypothesis of nonnormal disturbances. Further, Monte Carlo experiments appear to show the superiority of OLS over BLUS residuals, as well as the superiority of the Shapiro-Wilk test over other tests studied, when one is testing for normality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An expectation-maximum (EM) likelihood algorithm is used to estimate two seemingly unrelated Tobit regressions in which the dependent variables are truncated normal. An illustrative example on the determination of the life-health insurance and pension benefits is also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In regression analysis the technique of power transformation is used increasingly for searching the proper structures of the deterministic part and the stochastic disturbance. As this note has shown, the conditional mean function under the power transformation may not preserve the mathematical properties of the deterministic part of the regression. Proper care should be taken in interpreting the empirical results such as the expected value and the degree of homogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposed a hybrid of a stochastic frontier regression. The proposed model and estimation differ from the conventional model of Aigner, Lovell. and Schmidt. The model combines a stochastic frontier regression and a truncated regression to estimate the production frontier with non-neutral shifting of the average production function. The truncated regression identifies the sources of efficiency. The article presents empirical evidence of non-neutral effects of the firm's characteristics-the age of the firms, the export ratio, and the R&D expenditure-on the frontier production function and production efficiency in the Taiwan's electronics industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information about an article that explores the functional forms and the demand for meat in the United States. The general form for estimating the demand function for meat in the United States is based on the power transformation given by economists George E.P. Box and David R. Cox. The use of power transformation in regression analysis requires a certain amount of caution in interpreting the empirical results. The elasticity of the conditional mean function differs from that given by the deterministic part alone. Depending upon viewpoint, this difference represents a bias distorting the elasticity, given by the conditional mean function, away from the elasticity that would be given by the deterministic portion of the deterministic demand function.