The paper appraises the in-sample and out-of-sample adequacy of linear AR and nonlinear SETAR models of unemployment rates for Germany, Japan, the UK and the US. Tests are reported for the presence and specification of threshold nonlinearities, SETAR model estimates, limiting dynamic properties...

The empirical adequacy of linear AR and nonlinear SETAR models of trend-stationary and difference-stationary representations of output for Canada, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US are appraised. Test results suggest the presence of linear model residual structure of some form for all series,...

The time series properties of unemployment rates for Germany, Japan, the UK and the US are re-examined. Evidence of nonlinear structure in the residuals of the most parsimonious linear ARMA models is reported for all countries except Japan. Modelling this nonlinearity using SETAR models suggests...

It has long been suggested that investment may be time irreversible, and consideration of the option value of waiting to invest has aroused renewed interest in this issue. This study tests for time irreversibility in UK investment according to disaggregation by type of investment expenditure and...

The literature on testing for the presence of cyclical asymmetry in UK consumers' expenditure is extended via the application of nonparametric tests to data subject to a higher degree of disaggregation than considered in previous studies. The results obtained at an intermediate level of...

Although epidemiological knowledge in relation to child health has improved in the last few decades, around 3 million children die each year in developing countries from preventable diseases. The international development community views increased immunization coverage for children as an...