Journal of Economic Asymmetries最新文献

Fostering innovation is one of the key roles of the Circular Economy (CE) that applies also to European Union (EU) firms, because entrepreneurs are persistently seeking new ways and means to create values, contributing with significant market opportunities, and depicting large potential for EU sustainable growth. This study explores the effects of firms’ investments in using highly disruptive technologies in the energy sector on the Eurozone (EU-27) in the last two decades (1990–2019). An Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) experiment through a Deep Learning (DL) approach is implemented to test this hypothesis. The empirical findings show that investments in highly disruptive technologies, especially by large digitally qualified companies, boost economic growth. They are also a crucial driver of digitalization not only because they enhance a wide strategic change implying a radical innovation in business models, but they completely transform markets, from energy to food production, water resources, pollution, connectivity, and plastic waste. These expected benefits represent a possible policy measure to offset the decline in global activity due to the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on global energy markets. In addition, a positive association between trade and output is confirmed. Finally, promising policy actions are discussed.

The purpose of the present investigation is to scrutinize the impacts of green energy technologies, trade, the per capita income, and oil price on the carbon dioxide emissions and ecological footprint in France over the 1980/2022 period. Therefore, to achieve this objective, the Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) approach is employed.

In fact, the obtained results showed that renewable energy is a contributor to the improvement of the French environment. In fact, a positive shock to renewable energy alleviates both the CO₂ emissions and the ecological footprint. Moreover, an upsurge in oil prices reduces the CO₂ emissions while their reduction enhances the ecological footprint. On the other hand, trade is proven to have a negative effect on the environmental damage. Furthermore, a positive variation in the GDP per capita exerts a positive upshot on the CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint, in the long run, whereas, a negative shock to the GDP per capita has a negative impact on the carbon dioxide emissions. Finally, a robustness check analysis is added using quantile regression (QR) in order to explore the effects of positive and negative variations of the different explanatory variables.

In fact, referring to these results, some strategic directions are proposed in order to decarbonize the French economy. Therefore, diversifying the electricity mix by introducing more renewable energies should be a priority. On the other hand, in order to avoid an increase of the State's energy bill in the event of an increase of the oil prices, it is important to reduce oil imports by increasing energy production from renewable sources such as hydraulic, solar, and wind energies.

This paper presents, first, a theoretical model that, by highlighting that commercial banks with market power are able to positively pass on to their clients variations in their costs and, furthermore, that the strength with which they can do so is in turn asymmetrically related to the elasticity of the demand for loans exhibited by those clients, explains the asymmetric empirical findings shortly described. Secondly, it empirically investigates the pass-through of monetary policy rates (MPR) changes into the consumer and commercial loans interest rates set by commercial banks in four Latin American countries with inflation targeting (IT) schemes, namely (in alphabetic order) Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, over a homogeneous period. To do so, it estimates Non-Linear Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) models for each country. Then, we find two types of important asymmetric responses in the interest rate channel of IT monetary policy. The first is that the long-run response of the consumer loans interest rates following increases in the MPR is greater than that of the commercial loans interest rates. The second is that, in general, when the demand is relatively more elastic (as in the case of commercial loans) then the banks interest rates tend to exhibit a greater response when the central bank lowers the MPR than when it raises it.

This study investigates the historical nexus between economic development and fertility in eight highly advanced European economies between 1870 and 2014. We employ the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR), which enables us to examine the impact of the different levels of economic development on fertility. We also consider the role of mortality and marriage to gain a more comprehensive view of the relationship. Our results from the linear and panel quantile models suggest an inverse J-shaped pattern between economic development and fertility. However, the inverse J-shape vanishes when time effects are considered in the quantile regression model, while the impact of mortality and marriage on fertility is reinforced. To further elaborate our findings, we also employ a nonparametric panel estimation method with time-varying coefficients. Our results also suggest that periods characterized by a positive economic development effect on fertility rarely coincide with an upward movement in the observed fertility trajectory. We infer that economic development per se did not drive either the historical baby-boom period or the recent fertility rebound.

Access to higher education in several countries still has many barriers, mainly represented by the high cost of tuition fees. Given the importance of higher education for innovation and economic growth, this paper analyzes the best financing scheme for needy students. Using an asymmetric information model, the paper shows that student loans involve a moral hazard problem with sub-optimal levels of effort and quality of education, and are socially inefficient and inequitable. On the other hand, merit-based scholarships and need-based grants pose no moral hazard, are socially efficient, and are no more expensive than alternative financing schemes. In particular, while scholarships may be more cost-effective than grants, the latter allow to achieve directly the first best. The paper also examines loan forgiveness policies and talent funding. The results of the model are supported by a large strand of empirical literature.

The objective of this work is to assess the linkages between conventional and organic milk markets in the US. To this end, it employs the recently developed Quantile Frequency Connectedness (QFC) model and monthly retail prices from January 2009 to February 2024. The empirical results suggest: First, price connectedness is both quantile- and frequency-dependent. Second, adjustments to incoming information are likely to completed within 3 months. Third, large (in absolute value) price shocks result in stronger price connectedness relative to small. Fourth, where asymmetric connectedness exists, it points to the conventional milk market as a net transmitter of shocks to organic. Fifth, although the retail share of organic milk has increased rapidly, the intensity of price connectedness remained fairly stable over time.

This paper investigates the impacts and heterogeneity of the ECB's large-scale asset purchasing programs of sovereign securities on real GDP, inflation, long-term sovereign bond yields, systemic stress, and the unemployment rate. A structural Bayesian VAR model with six endogenous variables was estimated for 11 euro area countries over the period 2012:M1 to 2023:M12. To provide robustness to the results, a structural panel BVAR model is estimated, enabling a straightforward comparison of impulse responses of vulnerable and non-vulnerable countries. The results suggest that the magnitudes of impulse responses were more favorable in countries that were more economically and financially vulnerable. These findings underscore that financial and economic distress was a source of heterogeneity in the responses to large scale asset purchases within the euro area.

Given the pivotal role of inflation expectations in contemporary monetary policy, we posit that if monetary policy has effectively influenced inflation expectations, thereby altering the trajectory of total inflation, a structural break in the path of total inflation should be observable. Conversely, if inflation expectations have remained stable and monetary policy has had limited impact, a stable vector autoregressive (VAR) model should adequately describe the path of total inflation. To address these hypotheses, a non-linear specification of a threshold vector autoregressive (TVAR) model is employed, offering a comprehensive analytical framework for the examination of these dynamics.

This study examines the price relationships between the three major EU olive oil markets; Spain, Italy and Greece. The empirical analysis utilises a series of linear and non-linear econometric techniques to explore long and short run relations examining market integration as well as the pattern of price transmission. The study utilises monthly wholesale data for virgin olive oil for the three countries, covering the period January 2000 to April 2022. Results from the Diks and Panchenko nonlinear causality test suggest Spain to be the central market and stable long-run relations are revealed between the examined price pairs through the non-linear Momentum Threshold Cointegration model, with the strongest relation being identified between Italy and Greece. Regarding the pattern of price transmission, it is found to be asymmetric for the pairs Spain-Greece and Spain-Italy, whereas for price pair Italy-Greece symmetry is confirmed, and the Law of One Price holds in its strong version. This suggests that while the markets are integrated, the EU olive oil market is characterised by inefficiencies indicating the need for further reforms.

Investment is envisaged as a prerequisite for improving productivity and growth in any economy. In India, investment has decelerated during the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008, especially after 2011–12, which has spurred a heated discussion regarding causes accountable for elongated slowdown. To this end, we empirically examine the causal nexus between investment and its covariates in an asymmetric framework. The present study finds asymmetric cointegration along with short-run impact asymmetry, long-run reaction asymmetry, and adjustment asymmetry between investment and its covariates. Furthermore, evidence of asymmetric Granger causality is also established. Our study's conclusions have important policy outcomes to combat the economy's downturn in investment.