Date Approved

2008

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department or School

Economics

Committee Member

David B. Crary, PhD, Chair

Committee Member

John P. Curran, PhD

Committee Member

Sharon Erenburg, PhD

Abstract

Few topics in the field of economics have been as extensively researched as private business fixed investment. This paper examines investment using regression analysis and descriptive statistics. This study focuses on investment in structures and investment, with these two broad categories ultimately being further disaggregated into eleven relatively narrow categories.

The approach to modeling investment taken in this paper differs from the approach typically seen in economic literature in three important ways: this paper models net, rather than gross, investment; this paper uses a broad general econometric model, rather than a narrow theoretical model like the majority of papers modeling investment; and this paper looks at investment at a much more disaggregated level than is usually seen in econometric studies of investment.

The results presented here indicate that disaggregation, a generalized model, and the use of net investment as a dependent variable can produce superior econometric models of investment behavior.

Comments

Additional committee member: Jennifer Rice, PhD

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