We consider the response of both nominal and real commodity prices on world markets to real and nominal shocks by hypothesizing that nominal shocks can permanently affect nominal commodity prices, but can have only temporary effect on real commodity prices. Real shocks, in contrast, can have...

The paper uses a recently suggested test for unit roots in panels of time series data (Maddala and Wu, 1999) to consider the Purchasing Power Parity Hypothesis. The major innovation of this test is that it allows both the testing of the unit root null, using the ADF test, and the stationarity...

What are the economic rationales for the public subsidy of private health insurance? Inducing more people to purchase private cover has the potential to create a positive fiscal externality, as it frees up the limited public beds and other public resources for people who cannot afford private...

The empirical analysis employs individual level data from the Australian Health Survey combined with retrospective data on tobacco price matched to the age at which the individual started and quit smoking. Split-population hazard models are estimated for both starting and quitting smoking. The...