We apply recent results from the statistics literature to test for multimodality of worldwide distributions of several (unweighted and population-weighted) measures of labor productivity. Specifically, we employ Silverman (Bump) and Dip modality tests, calibrated to correct for their incorrect...

Despite the solid theoretical foundation on which the gravity model of bilateral trade is based, empirical implementation requires several assumptions which do not follow directly from the underlying theory. First, unobserved trade costs are assumed to be a (log-)linear function of observables....

This paper presents a method to test for multimodality of an estimated kernel density of derivative estimates from a nonparametric regression. The test is included in a study of nonparametric growth regressions. The results show that in the estimation of unconditional β-convergence the...

Rosen's (1974) theory of hedonic prices is implemented econometrically using recently developed nonparametric techniques to examine the influence of qualitative factors on the price of a house. Our ability to smooth categorical variables leads to greater generalization in the valuation process...

In this study, we merge results of two recent directions in efficiency analysis research-aggregation and bootstrap-applied, as an example, to one of the most popular point estimators of individual efficiency: the data envelopment analysis (DEA) estimator. A natural context of the methodology...