9320557 Stoker This grant continues a research program on the implementation of semiparametric estimators. The overall thrust of the work is to study the operational characteristics of various semiparametric and nonparametric estimators to study what methods are most useful for application to economic problems and especially to problems in environmental economics. The previous work focused on introducing and developing average derivative estimators and single and partial index models, and nonparametric kernel estimators of regression and derivatives. The proposed research will study many issues of implementation, from basic measurement issues for nonparametric techniques to specification tests for choosing an empirically adequate index model specification. The overall aim is to develop and communicate practical guidelines for empirical work to applied economists. The proposed research will be carried out in conjunction with a study of pollution and other environmental issues using survey data from families in Haifa, Israel.
