A Theory of Trade Secrets in Firms*

This article provides a simple theoretical model of trade secrets in hierarchical firms. A crucial assumption is that each manager has access to trade secrets pertaining to his own hierarchical level as well as to all lower levels. The article explores some implications of this assumption for optimal degree of trade secrets accumulation and protection as well as for the wage structure in firms. In addition, the model implies that managers may have an incentive to overpay their subordinates and protect their firms’ trade secrets too much.     

Testing Mundell's Intuition of Endogenous OCA Theory*

This paper presents an empirical assessment of the endogenous optimum currency area theory. Frankel and Rose (1998 ) study the endogeneity of a currency union through the lens of international trade flows. Our study extends Frankel and Rose's model by using FDI flows to test the original theory developed by Mundell in 1973. A gravity model is used to empirically assess the effectiveness of the convergence criteria by examining location‐specific advantages that guide multinational investment within the European Union. A fixed effects model based on a panel data of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows within the EU‐15 shows that horizontal investment promotes the diffusion of the production process across the national border. Specifically, our results suggest that economic convergence ensured by belonging to the common currency area helps double FDI flows.     

Some Implications of Imperfect Competition For Recent Trade Theory*

This paper argues that in a general-equilibrium context, it is not sensible for oligopolistic (and mono-polistically competitive) firms to maximize profit, because the outcome would be sensitive to the choice of the numeraire. the natural objective of these firms would be to maximize the utility of the shareholders if the shareholders are identical. I show that even if each firm takes the representative individual's marginal utility of income as given, the outcome of the utility maximization objective is Pareto optimal, and in equilibrium, each firm equates price with marginal cost.     

Linking Absolute and Comparative Advantage to Intra-Industry Trade Theory*

Two countries, which differ with respect to domestic demand for two groups of differentiated products, are considered in a setting of monopolistic competition where international trade is subject to transaction costs. It is shown that relative differences in demand determine the trade pattern. Each country is a net exporter of that group for which domestic demand is relatively larger-where the country has a comparative home-market advantage. Absolute differences in demand determine relative wages. Thus, the paper argues that the notions of absolute and comparative advantage as found in traditional trade theory also have meaning in new trade theory.     

Retail Demand for Meat in Australia: A Utility Theory Approach*

This paper examines Australian retail demand for meat for the post-war period 1949-50 to 1978-79. Several systems of demand equations are estimated, each system (comprising equations for beef, mutton, lamb, pork and chicken) being derived from an underlying static utility function. Model selection procedures are used to determine the preferred specifications). The validity of the utility theory approach is investigated by: testing for the presence of autocorrelation; examining the monotonicity and convexity properties of the utility functions; and comparing the estimated price and expenditure elasticities with those of other Australian studies. Serial correlation does arise as a problem, but other results provide support for the theory.     

Rational Actor Theory in Politics: A Critical Review of John Quiggin*

John Quiggin's paper attacks public-choice theory. among other things, for its us? of the assumption of ‘rational egoism’. The object of our response is twofold. First. to distinguish egoism from rationality, and to indicate that rationality postulates, when faithfully applied, provide reasons for believing that political behaviour and market behaviour will be systematically different, and specifically that the former will be less egoistic than the latter. Second, to indicate that comparative static propasitions in public-choice theory (and in economics more generally) can be sustained on rather weaker behavioural assumptions than homo economicus embodies, and that consequently some of the public-choice orthodoxy would survive any attack on the egoism assumption.     

Individual Choice Modelling with Discrete Commodities: Theory and Application to the Tasman Bridge Reopening*

Many choice situations facing individual consumers entail selection of one alternative out of a set of discrete commodities. The essential elements of a theory of individual choice behaviour are outlined for the situation where the alternatives are discrete. An operationally tractable model is proposed within the theoretical framework but with certain assumptions. The model, multinomial logit, is applied to a study of the prediction of mode and route market shares associated with the reopening of the Tasman Bridge. The empirical study is primarily designed to illustrate the potential of this relatively new microeconomic approach to demand modelling.     

Trade Policy and Poverty In the United States: Theory and Evidence, 1947-1990*

This paper develops a two-sector general equilibrium model to examine the impact of technical progress, factor accumulation, labor growth, unemployment, trade policy, and the government's antipoverty programs on the rate of poverty. the results are then tested empirically using the data regarding the United States. We find that low unemployment, productivity growth, and government transfers have the expected effects of alleviating poverty; but trade liberalization has the unexpected effect of being associated with a major increase in poverty-a result contradicting traditional views.