Date: 2010
Type: Working Paper
Euler-Equation Estimation for Discrete Choice Models: A Capital Accumulation Application
Working Paper, EUI ECO, 2010/21
COOPER, Russell, HALTIWANGER, John, WILLIS, Jonathan L., Euler-Equation Estimation for Discrete Choice Models: A Capital Accumulation Application, EUI ECO, 2010/21 - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/13796
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
This paper studies capital adjustment at the establishment level. Our goal is to characterize capital adjustment costs, which are important for understanding both the dynamics of aggregate investment and the impact of various policies on capital accumulation. Our estimation strategy searches for parameters that minimize ex post errors in an Euler equation. This strategy is quite common in models for which adjustment occurs in each period. Here, we extend that logic to the estimation of parameters of dynamic optimization problems in which non-convexities lead to extended periods of
investment inactivity. In doing so, we create a method to take into account censored observations stemming from intermittent investment. This methodology allows us to take the structural model directly to the data, avoiding time-consuming simulationbased methods. To study the effectiveness of this methodology, we first undertake several Monte Carlo exercises using data generated by the structural model. We then estimate capital adjustment costs for U.S. manufacturing establishments in two sectors.
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/13796
ISSN: 1725-6704
Series/Number: EUI ECO; 2010/21