This study analyzes the residential and commercial demand for electricity in ten regions in Paraguay for 1970-1977. Models that are both linear and nonlinear in the parameters are estimated. The nonlinear model takes advantage of prior information on the nature of the appliances being utilized and simultaneously deals with the demand discontinuities caused by appliance indivisibility. Three dynamic equations, including a novel cumulative adjustment model, all indicate rapid adjustment to desired appliance stock levels. Finally, the multiproduct surplus loss obtained from an estimated demand equation is used to measure the welfare cost of power outages. 15 references.

Recent studies have documented a significant rise in the male black-white earnings ratio since the mid-1960s. The growing difference in nonemployment rates of blacks and whites clouds these optimistic findings. The basic question addressed in this paper is whether selectivity bias, caused by racial differences in employment rates, is a serious problem in the estimation of wage functions for adult males. For males age 21-34 we found no evidence of selectivity bias, but for the older cohort of males age 35-54, the results are quite different. For both whites and blacks, there is strong positive selection bias. It appears that biased estimates of several important coefficients are obtained using simple ordinary least squares procedures. The most interesting of these are the effect of low education for blacks.

A hstract-This paper develops a model of the decision to adopt interrelated innovations emphasizing the role of innovative ability and a measure of the economic incentive to be informed about innovations. Education, experience, and the availability of information are hypothesized to be measurable dimensions of innovative ability. The results from fitting univariate, conditional, and joint logistic models suggest that innovative ability contributes significantly to explaining the adoption of new technology but does not explain its diffusion. The results also indicate that the diffusion of previously available innovations depends on the introduction and adoption of interrelated current innovations.

This paper demonstrates that a linear logit model, with appropriate constraints, can be used to specify a system of cost share equations that satisfy neoclassical economic conditions. Unlike many other flexible functional forms, the logistic function is particularly well suited for incorporating dynamic adjustment mechanisms. The empirical results suggest that the use of static models overstates short-run own-price elasticities and understates the corresponding long-run price effects.

Richard M. Adams, Thomas D. Crocker, Richard W. Katz, Assessing the Adequacy of Natural Science Information: A Bayesian Approach, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 66, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 568-575