Structural change and phase variation: A re-examination of the q-model using wavelet exploratory analysis

Marco Gallegati and James B. Ramsey

Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 2013, vol. 25, issue C, 60-73

Abstract: This paper uses the structural change model and wavelet exploratory analysis to re-examine Tobin's q theory of investment. There are two main results. First, wavelet exploratory analysis provides a useful complementary approach to standard confirmatory statistical analysis. Specifically, using energy and time scale decomposition analyses, we find that the long-run is the dominant scale of variation for both aggregate investment and “measured” Tobin's q, and that for most of the sample there is a stable in-phase relationship between the smooth components of investment rate and q, with q slightly leading investments. Moreover, the analysis of the shift of the phase relationship of the long-term components reveals a “pure” smooth break occurring in the late 1970s, and a “spurious” smooth break in the early 1990s when the two smooth components resume their normal in-phase relationship. Second, when we combine the results from wavelet exploratory analysis and the multiple structural breaks test approach, we find that, contrary to the conventional literature, Tobin's q is an important determinant of aggregate investment, and its estimated coefficient can provide a plausible value for the implied adjustment cost of investment. Most importantly, we discover that the relationship depends on time scale; long time scales are more important than short.

Keywords: q-Model; Structural breaks; Wavelet exploratory analysis; Phase variation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C14 C29 C52 E22 E44 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0954349X13000209
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:streco:v:25:y:2013:i:c:p:60-73

DOI: 10.1016/j.strueco.2013.02.002

Access Statistics for this article

Structural Change and Economic Dynamics is currently edited by F. Duchin, H. Hagemann, M. Landesmann, R. Scazzieri, A. Steenge and B. Verspagen

More articles in Structural Change and Economic Dynamics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().