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Additive General Error Models for Production, Cost, and Derived Demand or Share Systems

Marjorie B. McElroy

Journal of Political Economy 1987 open access

Many empirical studies of production specify a deterministic model of the firm, derive the implied behavioral equat ions (input demand or share system), and then "embed this system in a stochastic framework" by tacking on linear error terms. In contras t, this paper proposes general error models (GEMs) in which the error specification is an integral part of the optimization model. These m odels are the statistical embodiment of Stigler's view that apparent observed inefficiencies reflect the investigator's ignorance of the t rue optimization problems. Additive GEMs are proposed and interpreted Specification tests indicate that a translog additive GEM is superi or to the standard translog specification. Copyright 1987 by University of Chicago Press.

DOI
10.1086/261483
Volume
95 (4)
Pages
737-757
Language
en
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