Structural Econometrics : Essay in Methodology and Applications

Structural econometrics grew out of attempts to rigorously apply economic theory in empirical work. This marriage of theory and statistical inference resulted in exciting developments in econometric methodology. The tools of structural econometrics came to be applied in a wide variety of fields ranging from industrial organization, public economics, and labour economics to international economics. This volume, consisting of essays largely written by late Sanghamitra Das, introduces the subject and brings out the importance of structural methods in econometric analysis. The articles illustrate how structural econometrics can be applied to a wide range of policy issues. They relate to the infant computer industry in India in the 1980s, the cement industry in the US, factors underlying the ownership of blast furnaces in India in the 1990s, entry decisions of producers in export markets, and even down-to-earth issues such as the behaviour of pedestrians attempting to cross a stream of traffic at signalized intersections.