This paper proposes a procedure for the estimation of discrete Markov decision models and studies its statistical and computational properties. Our method is similar to Rust's Nested Fixed-Point algorithm (NFXP), but the order of the two nested algorithms is swapped. First, we prove that this...

This paper presents a hybrid genetic algorithm to obtain maximum likelihood estimates of parameters in structural econometric models with multiple equilibria. The algorithm combines a pseudo maximum likelihood (PML) procedure with a genetic algorithm (GA). The GA searches globally over the large...

This paper deals with the identification and estimation of dynamic games when players’ beliefs about other players’ actions are biased, i.e., beliefs do not represent the probability distribution of the actual behavior of other players conditional on the information available....

We survey the recent empirical literature on structural models of market entry and spatial competition in oligopoly retail industries. We start with the description of a framework that encompasses various models that have been estimated in empirical applications. We use this framework to discuss...

We survey the recent empirical literature on structural models of market entry and spatial competition in oligopoly retail industries. We start with the description of a framework that encompasses various models that have been estimated in empirical applications. We use this framework to discuss...

The Riegle-Neal Act in 1994 established the conditions for the removal of restrictions on interstate banking and branching in US. One of the primary motivations for enacting this act was permitting banks to diversify geographic risk. The purpose of this paper is to study the role of...

The 1994 Riegle Neal (RN) Act removed interstate banking restrictions in the US. The primary motivation was to permit geographic risk diversification (GRD). Using a factor model to measure banks' geographic risk, we show that RN expanded GRD possibilities in small states, but that few banks took...

We propose a dynamic model of an oligopoly industry characterized by spatial competition between multi-store retailers. Firms compete in prices and decide where to open or close stores depending on demand conditions and the number of competitors at different locations, and on location-specific...

We derive marginal conditions of optimality (i.e., Euler equations) for a general class of Dynamic Discrete Choice (DDC) structural models. These conditions can be used to estimate structural parameters in these models without having to solve for or approximate value functions. This result...

The development of two-step econometric methods for dynamic structural models has afforded researchers the ability to estimate models with large state spaces without having to compute a full solution of the model even once. However, regardless of the method used for estimation, the...