This paper studies linear and nonlinear autoregressive leading indicator models of business cycles in G-7 countries. Our models use the spread between short-term and long-term interest rates as leading indicators for GDP. We examine data admissibility by determining whether these models have the...

R, an open-source programming environment for data analysis and graphics, has in only a decade grown to become a de-facto standard for statistical analysis against which many popular commercial programs may be measured. The use of R for the teaching of econometric methods is appealing. It...

This paper examines whether the dismantling of apartheid has resulted in an improvement in the standard of living for the vast majority of South Africans. The study is based on a panel data set from the Kwazulu-Natal province. We use weighted quantile regressions to examine the distribution of...

This paper provides evidence from the US and Dutch budget surveys that income elasticity of family food consumption is a function of family income and other observable characteristics of the household. It also finds that the conditional variance of family food consumption depends on family...