Two-queue polling systems with switching policy based on the queue that is not being served

We study a system of two non-identical and separate M/M/1/? queues with capacities (buffers) C₁ < ∞ and C₂ = ∞, respectively, served by a single server that alternates between the queues. The server’s switching policy is threshold-based, and, in contrast to other threshold models, is determined by the state of the queue that is not being served. That is, when neither queue is empty while the server attends Q_i (i = 1, 2), the server switches to the other queue as soon as the latter reaches its threshold. When a served queue becomes empty we consider two switching scenarios: (i) Work-Conserving, and (ii) Non-Work-Conserving. We analyze the two scenarios using Matrix Geometric methods and obtain explicitly the rate matrix R, where its entries are given in terms of the roots of the determinants of two underlying matrices. Numerical examples are presented and extreme cases are investigated.     

Threshold Estimation for Stochastic Processes with Small Noise

Consider a process satisfying a stochastic differential equation with unknown drift parameter, and suppose that discrete observations are given. It is known that a simple least squares estimator (LSE) can be consistent but numerically unstable in the sense of large standard deviations under finite samples when the noise process has jumps. We propose a filter to cut large shocks from data and construct the same LSE from data selected by the filter. The proposed estimator can be asymptotically equivalent to the usual LSE, whose asymptotic distribution strongly depends on the noise process. However, in numerical study, it looked asymptotically normal in an example where filter was chosen suitably, and the noise was a Lévy process. We will try to justify this phenomenon mathematically, under certain restricted assumptions.     

Subjective utility with upper and lower probabilities on finite states

This article is concerned with thresholds of discrimination of preference judgments under uncertainty. We establish an axiomatic characterization for a threshold representation, where thresholds are represented by inexact measurement of subjective probabilities, i.e., upper and lower probabilities. Since upper and lower probabilities need not be additive, the representational form adopts the Choquet integration.     

Determinants of Social Expenditure in Sri Lanka

The study examines the determinants of social expenditure in Sri Lanka for the period 1970–2010. The data are from a new data set assembled by the authors. The social spending data are collected from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on education, health, and also on welfare spending. The study explains the determinants of social spending considering the demand‐side and the supply‐side driving forces and finds that inequality issues have been a major concern of social policy in Sri Lanka. Similarly, this study implies the influence of political behavior to satisfy voters as explained by the fiscal illusion theory. The globalization is not significant for social expenditure as commonly assumed in developed countries. Even the consequences of the self‐interested behavior of bureaucrats are not evident in the Sri Lankan welfare sector.     

Does the twin deficit hypothesis hold in the OECD countries under different real interest rate regimes?

This paper explores the validity of the twin deficit hypothesis in selected 25 OECD countries with annual data for 2005–2016 by considering different real interest rate regimes. A non-dynamic panel threshold model, introduced by Hansen (1999), is employed. The novelty of the empirical findings from the present study is that there exists a non-linear relationship between the budget deficit and the trade balance, which is driven by a critical threshold level in the real interest rates. The findings suggest that twin deficit hypothesis holds only under the low real interest rate regime, that is, rises in budget deficits lead to deteriorations in the trade balance when the real interest rate is below the threshold level. When the high real interest rate (i.e. above-the-threshold) regime is concerned, increasing budget deficits give rise to improvements in the trade balance, a finding consistent with the twin divergence hypothesis. Thus, the effect on the trade balance of an expansionary fiscal policy that worsens the budget balance reverses substantially depending on the threshold level of the real interest rates. The major policy implication of this paper is that the policy makers in the selected OECD countries should pay a greater attention to fiscal discipline in order to prevent the trade balance from worsening, because the majority of the countries fall into the low real interest rate regime over the recent years of the sample period (i.e. between 2010 and 2016).     

金融高阶矩风险溢出效应研究

开展金融风险溢出效应的研究,对于避免金融风险从一个国家、地区或市场迅速地传播到其它的国家、地区或市场具有重要的意义.早期的金融风险溢出研究只考虑前二阶矩,即均值的溢出效应和方差的溢出效应.在一元GARCD-JSU模型的基础上,构建了世界因子、地区因子及单个市场因子三个因子模型,并对高阶矩风险的溢出效应进行了分解,用于研究金融高阶矩风险在世界、地区和单个市场之间的溢出效应.最后,对亚洲一些主要国家和地区金融风险溢出效应进行了实证研究.     

Wavelet‐Based Testing for Serial Correlation of Unknown Form in Panel Models

Wavelet analysis is a new mathematical method developed as a unified field of science over the last decade or so. As a spatially adaptive analytic tool, wavelets are useful for capturing serial correlation where the spectrum has peaks or kinks, as can arise from persistent dependence, seasonality, and other kinds of periodicity. This paper proposes a new class of generally applicable wavelet‐based tests for serial correlation of unknown form in the estimated residuals of a panel regression model, where error components can be one‐way or two‐way, individual and time effects can be fixed or random, and regressors may contain lagged dependent variables or deterministic/stochastic trending variables. Our tests are applicable to unbalanced heterogenous panel data. They have a convenient null limit N(0,1) distribution. No formulation of an alternative model is required, and our tests are consistent against serial correlation of unknown form even in the presence of substantial inhomogeneity in serial correlation across individuals. This is in contrast to existing serial correlation tests for panel models, which ignore inhomogeneity in serial correlation across individuals by assuming a common alternative, and thus have no power against the alternatives where the average of serial correlations among individuals is close to zero. We propose and justify a data‐driven method to choose the smoothing parameter—the finest scale in wavelet spectral estimation, making the tests completely operational in practice. The data‐driven finest scale automatically converges to zero under the null hypothesis of no serial correlation and diverges to infinity as the sample size increases under the alternative, ensuring the consistency of our tests. Simulation shows that our tests perform well in small and finite samples relative to some existing tests.     

二元结构、实际汇率与巴拉萨—萨缪尔森效应——基于面板门限模型的实证分析

运用Hansen提出的面板门限模型,以二元结构为门限变量,研究了43个国家1980~2010年不同收入国家,基于二元结构变化的巴拉萨—萨缪尔森效应的大小(B-S效应),研究发现:二元结构对B-S效应的影响存在明显的双门限效应,高收入国家不存在二元结构问题,其B-S效应显著;中等收入国家基本上跨过了第一门限值,其B-S效应存在,但弱于高收入国家,而低收入国家基本不存在B-S效应;表明在不同二元结构下,由于工资不会同劳动生产率同步增长,劳动生产率对实际汇率的存在不完全传导机制,可以解释"人民币汇率之谜"。     

基于可变强度跳跃-GARCH模型的资产价格跳跃行为分析——以中国上市公司股票市场数据为例

近年来,美国金融危机、欧债危机、地震等突发事件不断冲击着我国金融市场,各类资产价格频繁出现大幅跳动,收益风险短期内急剧扩大。鉴于此,本文构建了门限效应下状态变量依赖自回归强度跳跃-GARCH模型（简称TSD-ARJI-GARCH模型）来探讨股票资产价格随时间平滑波动和大幅度跳跃的双重特征。该模型扩展了现有可变强度跳跃-GARCH模型,克服了片面强调内生或外生因素的局限性,既允许跳跃强度受单个资产异质因素的内生驱动,以刻画跳跃变化的时变性及集聚性,也考虑了外部状态变量影响的门限效应。通过对不同类型中国上市公司股票市场数据的实证分析,验证了该模型对各类上市公司股票资产价格跳跃特征都具有较好的辨别和预测能力,可为动态监管金融资产的跳跃风险提供理论依据。     

空间集聚、规模门槛与技术创新:基于中国制造业企业普查数据的实证分析

本文构建了关于空间集聚、规模门槛与技术创新关系的分析框架,并利用我国制造业企业普查数据检验了空间集聚对技术创新影响的规模门槛效应.实证结果显示:专业化集聚和多样化集聚有利于企业技术创新,但是溢出效应存在门槛效应.对于规模门槛而言,专业化集聚和多样化集聚对企业技术创新的影响并非是线性关系,城市规模越小,专业化集聚对企业技术创新的影响更大,城市规模越大,多样化集聚对企业技术创新更显著.与大企业相比,多样化集聚对小企业技术创新的影响更明显.专业化集聚和多样化集聚对技术创新的影响在东部地区的比较明显,而对于中西部地区影响不显著.