We investigate irreversible investment behavior under uncertainty of payoffs using U.S. firm-level panel data. We estimate the relationship between the firm’s investment to capital ratio and the interest rate, while controlling for investment opportunities, real option values, uncertainty and...

This paper examines the relationship between uncertainty and investment decisions by food andnon-food firms. Using hysteresis and the real options paradigm, we review why uncertaintymight cause firms to delay investment. In particular, our model looks for a negative relationshipbetween capital...

This paper examines the relationship between uncertainty and investment decisions by food and non-food firms. Using hysteresis and the real options paradigm, we review why uncertainty might cause firms to delay investment. In particular, our model looks for a negative relationship between...

Financial accounting has emphasized the historical cost approach because of its objectivity. Yet in the event of bankruptcy and liquidation, assets will be liquidated at their market values. In this paper, we compare the probability of insolvency computed using market values to the probability...

U.S. decoupled direct payments, paid to farm operators based on historic yields and base acreage under the 2002 Farm Bill, may alter a farmer’s access to credit or his ability to meet debt servicing obligations. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Resource...

This paper reexamines foreign currency markets for evidence of fractional integration, and extends the extant literature in several important dimensions. First, we utilize a new semiparametric wavelet-based estimator, which is far superior to the more prevalent GPH estimator on the basis of mean...

This study analyzes how rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) in Senegal were able to overcome the collective action dilemma, maintain institutional performance, and remain sustainable over time. This study models cooperation among members as well as the performance and...

Relatively few farmers regularly use tax-favored retirement accounts to diversify long-term farm assets with nonfarm savings. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 creates new investment opportunities for both IRAs and regular capital assets. Complex tradeoffs exist among new tax incentives, possible...

We investigate the objectives of agricultural bank managers and their impacts on bank efficiency. If managers are non-neutral toward risk, then banks may appear inefficient when they are not. We find non-neutrality toward risk and efficiency gains due to firm size, loan shares, asset shares, and...

Repeat borrowing is critical for the long-term financial viability of microfinance institutions (MFIs), which provide financial services to low-income households in developing countries. Repeat borrowers reduce MFI administrative costs, lower risks, and increase institutional productivity. In...