Patent Policy in an Endogenous Growth Model

We investigate how the patent policy affects economic growth and social welfare based on an endogenous growth model with R&D activities. We show that the patent length that maximizes the social welfare is finite. Moreover, by introducing compulsory licensing, we also show that the patent length that maximizes the social welfare is not infinite even if the royalty rate can be controlled. Received June 29, 2001; revised version received February 5, 2002 Published online: February 17, 2003 We wish to thank two anonymous referees for their constructive comments. We also thank Akira Yakita for his helpful comments.     

Market Instability in a Stackelberg Duopoly

m -period duopoly model with inventory costs, where each firm chooses when to produce. We find that, in contrast to most existing works concerning endogenous roles of the firms, no pure strategy equilibrium exists when m is strictly larger than two. This result indicates that no stable pattern of allocation of roles exists except for a two-period model; thus the leader-follower relationship inevitably becomes instable. Received August 1, 2000; revised version received July 20, 2001     

Variable Labor Supply,Terms of Trade Shocks,and Domestic Prices: A Note

This paper develops a two-good, small-country, general-equilibrium trade model with endogenous labor supply, where trade is restricted by a tariff or an import quota. Within this framework, it is shown that, contrary to Anam (1989), under an import quota domestic and world prices may vary in the same direction. This is due to the possibly positive employment effects of terms of trade shocks. In such a case, compared to fixed labor supply, variable labor supply is likely to make the domestic prices less sensitive to foreign price volatility. Received June 13, 2001; revised version received November 14, 2001     

The (Price) Core of a Bertrand–Edgeworth Economy

In this paper, a solution concept from cooperative game theory is applied to a special kind of oligopolistic markets. Traditionally, oligopoly theory uses non-cooperative game theory. The cooperative solution concept, the Price Core, has been specially developed for this paper. In contrast to the Core, in the Price Core, different consumers may pay different prices for the same commodity. An example shows that the set of competitive allocations may be a proper subset of the Core and that the Core may be a proper subset of the Price Core. Received July 24, 2001; revised version received February 25, 2002 Published online: December 5, 2002     

Welfare Analysis of a Fiscal Reconstruction Policy in an Overlapping Generations Economy with Public Investment

Constructing an endogenously growing overlapping generations model with public investment, we examine the welfare effects of a fiscal reconstruction policy. In this paper we define a fiscal reconstruction policy as a policy where the government reduces its spending level without changing the tax revenue and allocates the surplus of the revenue to redeem public debt. We show that if government spending is not productive it is possible that a fiscal reconstruction policy improves the utilities of both the current and future generations, while if government spending is productive it can harm the utilities of both generations. Received February 26, 2002; revised version received July 8, 2002 Published online: February 17, 2003     

A Stochastic Overlapping Generations Economy with Inheritance

An overlapping generations model of an exchange economy with two sources of uncertainty is considered. Individuals have a finite expected life span and uncertain annual income. Conditions concerning birth, death, inheritance and bequests are fully specified. Under such conditions, the existence of a stationary Markovian equilibrium is established in some generality, and several explicitly solvable examples are examined in detail. Received August 6, 2001; revised version received March 12, 2002 Published online: November 11, 2002     

Increased Input Supplies,Government Size,Welfare and Trade in the Presence of Increasing Returns

This paper examines the impact of exogenous changes in the supply of primary factors of production on the relative size of government and welfare in the context of a model where increasing returns are present in the production of an intermediate good. It is shown that an increase in the supply of labor (capital) increases the relative size of government if the share of labor is large (small) in the public sector as compared to the private sector. An increase in the supply of capital increases welfare but the impact of an increase in the supply of labor cannot be unambiguously determined. In the context of a North-South model, the paper also considers the pattern of trade. It is shown that North will export capital-intensive intermediate goods to the South. Received September 13, 2001; revised version received June 1, 2002 Published online: February 17, 2003 I am indebted to Professor Bob Catley and two anonymous referees for invaluable comments and suggestions. However, responsibility of any remaining errors or omissions is mine alone.     

Efficiency Wages and the Long-Run Incidence of Progressive Taxation;

Received November 3, 2000; revised version received August 2, 2001     

Structural Change and Generalized Balanced Growth

This paper addresses the criticism that balanced growth models are inconsistent with the dynamics of structural change characterizing the process of economic development. Using a sectoral disaggregated version of a research-driven growth model, we develop the concept of a generalized balanced growth path (GBGP). Along a GBGP, macroeconomic variables grow at constant rates while disaggregated variables grow at non-constant rates. As a result, balanced growth in macroeconomic aggregates and structural change can occur simultaneously. Received April 3, 2001; revised version received February 20, 2002 Published online: November 11, 2002     

贸易、环境污染与经济增长——基于开放经济下的一个内生增长模型

通过构建一个开放经济条件下的内生增长模型,文章探讨了国际贸易、环境质量与经济持续增长三者的内在关系以及相互作用的动力机制。首先,通过对模型的竞争性市场均衡分析,给出了平衡增长路径的经济增长率,并系统地分析了在环境污染进入效用函数的情形下长期经济增长的内在机理。其次,通过对最优增长路径进行比较静态分析,分别讨论了贸易自由化对环境质量、经济增长、福利效应的影响;污染外部性对长期经济增长的约束等。最后给出了模型的综合结论及其现实涵义。     

Growing through Cycles in an Infinitely Lived Agent Economy

This paper extends the analysis of K. Matsuyama (Econometrica67 (1999), 335–347) to the case of an infinitely lived representative agent economy. The economy grows endogenously through endogenous fluctuations, perpetually moving back and forth between two phases. In one phase, there is no innovation, the market structure is competitive, and the economy grows solely by capital accumulation. In the other phase, new goods are introduced and the market structure is monopolistic. In the long run, both investment and innovation grow at the same rate, but the economy alternates between the periods of high investment and the periods of higher innovation. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: E32, O11.     

The Timing of Technology Adoption by a Cost-minimizing Firm

Received December 7, 1999; revised version received July 26, 2001     

Tacit Collusion in a Spatial Model with Delivered Pricing

Received August 5, 1999; revised version received July 20, 2001     

Economic Development,International Trade,and Income Distribution

This paper applies the inframarginal analysis, which is a combination of marginal and total cost-benefit analysis, to investigate the relationship between division of labor, the extent of the market, productivity and inequality of income distribution. The model with transaction costs and exogenous and endogenous comparative advantages shows that as trading efficiency is improved the general equilibrium discontinuously jumps from autarky to partial division of labor with a dual structure, then to the complete division of labor where dual structure disappears. In this process different groups of individuals with different trading efficiency become involved in a certain level of division of labor at different stages of development. As the leading group becomes involved in a higher level of division of labor leaving others behind, a dual structure emerges and inequality increases. As latecomers catch up dual structure disappears and inequality declines. When the leader goes to an even higher level of specialization, dual structure occurs and inequality increases again. Inequality decreases again as the latecomers catch up. Hence, the equilibrium degree of inequality fluctuates in this development process. The relationship between inequality and productivity is neither monotonically positive nor monotonically negative. It might not be an inverted U-curve. The key driving force of economic development and trade is improvement in trading efficiency. Received January 8, 2002; revised version May 2, 2002 Published online: December 5, 2002     

Timing of Entry under Externalities

Received August 23, 2000; revised version received May 14, 2001     

Additive and Multiplicative Uncertainty Revisited: What Explains the Contrasting Biases?

above the certainty level while for additive uncertainty the price should be lower than the certainty level. This note gives an intuitive explanation for the result after first presenting a parsimonious review of the two models. We also discuss which, if either, of the two models is more realistic. Received December 14, 2001; revised version received July 16, 2002 Published online: April 30, 2003 We thank referees for helpful comments. Ciaran Driver would like to acknowledge the research facilities from ANU, Canberra for their help in writing this paper.     

Product Variety and Real Exchange Rates: The Balassa-Samuelson Model Reconsidered

This paper introduces product variety into the Balassa-Samuelson model in order to extend the model of real exchange rate determination. With product differentiation, real exchange rates depend not only on the relative price of nontradables to tradables but also on relative prices among tradables. This paper identifies a new factor that determines the extent of variety, termed Infrastructural Technology, and that affects real exchange rates not through the relative price of nontradables but through relative prices among tradables. This paper also conducts empirical tests, and the results of these tests support the model. Received May 31, 2001; revised version received March 20, 2002 Published online: April 30, 2003     

Jobs,Production Linkages,and the Environment

Received April 29, 2002; revised version received July 12, 2002 Published online: April 30, 2003 We are indebted to two anonymous referees for useful comments. The work described in this paper was supported by a grant from the Research Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CUHK 4032/98H) and the Research Center for International Economics of the City University of Hong Kong. The usual disclaimer applies.     

Taxation and Labor Markets

We exploit the common features of models such as union, search and efficiency wage models to develop a framework that can be used to analyze the effects of any revenue-neutral tax reform on employment. In particular, we show that taxes paid by workers are not equivalent to taxes paid by firms when taxes are non linear. Moreover, we show that the positive impact of tax progressivity on employment is attributable only to a limited set of hypotheses. Received May 2, 2001; revised version received November 27, 2001 Published online: December 5, 2002     

宁南旱作农区生态经济农业发展思路研究

宁南旱作农区是我国经济落后的地区．生态环境十分严酷，农民生活十分贫穷。按照西部大开发的战略要求，保护生态，实现社会经济与生态恢复同步发展已成为该地区当前和以后相当长一段时期的主要任务。面对中国小康社会建设目标和农业现代化要求，发展草畜一体化生态经济农业将是该地区经济发展的战略选择，以草畜产业为基础的生态经济农业必将成为干旱半干旱地区可持续发展的主要途径。