It is shown that investment under financing constraints can be modeled as a one-sided deviation from a frictionless investment level, and that effects of financing constraints can be identified and quantified by imposing a distributional assumption on the effects. Panel data on Taiwanese...

In this paper, we provide micro-econometric evidence on the determinants of life insurance demand in China, the largest emerging market in the world. We employ the China Household Income Project (CHIP) dataset for the year 2002 in the analysis. The timing is ideal, because of the nature of the...

In this paper we consider a fixed-effects stochastic frontier model. That is, we have panel data, fixed individual (firm) effects, and the usual stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) composed error.

We consider a model that provides flexible parameterizations of the exogenous influences on inefficiency. In particular, we demonstrate the model's unique property of accommodating non-monotonic efficiency effect. With this non-monotonicity, production efficiency no longer increases or decreases...

Consider a stochastic frontier model with one-sided inefficiency u, and suppose that the scale of u depends on some variables (firm characteristics) z. A “one-step” model specifies both the stochastic frontier and the way in which u depends on z, and can be estimated in a single step, for...

How do firms smooth production when facing financing uncertainty? By using a model incorporating financing constraints, this paper shows that firms may adjust capacity utilization rates to buffer against financing disturbances. In particular, it emphasizes that variable capacity utilization...

In the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, Taiwan's bank credits slowed down dramatically while the economy experienced one of the worst recessions in recent history. Whether the slowdown was mainly caused by the demand or the supply effect is unclear. An innovative empirical approach is...