Economies with informational asymmetries and limited vetoer coalitions

With reference to a model of coalitional economies with asymmetric information, we consider different possible restrictions on the set of blocking coalitions. We provide suitable price systems decentralizing allocations in the corresponding enlarged core.     

Social Preferences and Price Cap Regulation

This paper analyzes the allocative properties of price cap regulation under very general hypotheses on the nature of society's preferences. We propose a generalized price cap that ensures the convergence to optimal (second best) prices in the long-run equilibrium for virtually any form of the welfare function. Hence, the result of the convergence to Ramsey prices of Laspeyres-type price cap regulation is a particular instance of our more general result. We also provide an explicit and relatively easy to calculate and implement generalized price cap formula for distributionally weighted utilitarian welfare functions, as suggested by Feldstein (1972a).     

Competitive prices as optimal cartel prices

In a linear oligopoly model with antitrust enforcement, the optimal cartel price converges to the competitive equilibrium price. The set of sustainable cartel prices does not shrink to the competitive price. We identify necessary conditions for this counter-intuitive convergence result.     

我国地区间相对价格水平收敛性再检验——基于面板门限套利模型的经验研究

本文通过建立面板门限套利模型为地区间相对价格水平收敛的假说提供了理论支持,并为采用面板单位根检验进行收敛性检验提供了理论依据。在此基础上,本文通过测算国内地区间相对价格水平,放松了此前文献通常做出的基准年份各地价格水平相等的前提假设,并综合利用第一、二代面板单位根检验方法考察了1995—2010年我国地区间相对价格水平的收敛性。实证研究找到了较多收敛证据但也发现收敛半衰期较长,驳斥了国内市场分割愈演愈烈的判断,也承认了国内商品市场一体化进程尚未达理想程度的现实。此外,本文发现部分商品分类收敛性与其可贸易性有背离,并推测贸易性瑕疵与政策因素起了关键作用。     

Does the law of one price hold in a high-inflation environment? A tale of two cities in Turkey

This study addresses the price convergence in two cities in Turkey (Istanbul and Ankara) using annual data over the three-quarters of the twentieth century (1922–1998), characterized by prevailing high inflation rates for most of the period. In contrast to the rest of the literature addressing convergence in price levels with a typical result of extremely slow convergence rates at best, we argue that convergence is much easier detected in growth rates rather than levels of prices. We suggest using the bounds testing procedure of Pesaran et al. (2001) for this purpose. We find a clear-cut evidence on the existence of a common driving force behind inflation dynamics in Istanbul and Ankara – a finding that is in contrast with the results typically reported in related literature.     

垄断行业定价的博弈分析--以铁路票价制定为例

铁路行业被认为是典型的自然垄断行业。长期以来中国政府对铁路部门实行较为严格的管制政策。但近年来铁路部门已经逐渐实行自主定价,并在春节等节假日上浮票价,引发很多争论。用博弈论方法对铁路票价制定和消费者购买行为进行经济学分析,提出铁路票价制定有其利益趋向依据,但为规范其行为,应当实行价格听证制度和严格的审计监察制度。     

Did the EMS encourage inflation convergence?

This paper studies the convergence of inflation rates over the period of 1983–93 for some countries within the European Monetary System. Three different price indices are considered for consumer goods, services, and industrial products. This study focuses on the difference between core and peripheral countries for measuring convergence speed. By using - and -convergence tools, as previously identified in studies on output growth convergence, it was found that the convergence process did not evolve equally whether considered through price indices, time, or countries.     

On price convergence in Eurozone

We investigate price level convergence with Germany in eleven countries belonging to the Eurozone between January 1970 and July 2011. Relying on smooth transition regression models, we show that the price convergence process is nonlinear, depending on the size of the price differential: for most countries, price convergence occurs only when price differentials with Germany exceed a certain threshold. Moreover, our findings put forward some heterogeneity across the Eurozone members in terms of price convergence speed, that can be explained by the evolution of price-competitiveness, rigidities in labor markets, but also by specialization patterns.     

关于虚拟经济几个重要问题的再讨论

虚拟经济是预期的未来价格体系在现时的镜像.心理预期在虚拟经济中处于最为核心的地位;虚拟经济的本质是价格体系;虚拟经济的虚拟结果是现时镜像.现实经济中存在着衍生产品虚拟性的退化与实体产品虚拟性的泛化并存这样一种态势.衡量虚拟经济规模的维度有二:一是虚拟经济价格体系的覆盖率,二是虚拟经济的交易量.     

Price convergence in an online virtual world

This paper tests for the existence of price convergence using a unique data set from the largest online game, World of Warcraft. It provides a controlled setting without the usual obstacles that make testing price convergence difficult. These difficulties include trade barriers, transportation costs, imperfections and restrictions in capital markets, and differences in productivity growth. The data set consists of eight structurally identical copies, or worlds, of a virtual macroeconomy. We use the non-linear convergence test developed by Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75(6):1771–1855, 2007), and find price convergence in all eight worlds. We further develop our own simple band of inaction test for price convergence, and under reasonable parameters find price convergence in all eight worlds.     

Reforming the new economic mechanism in Hungary

Following steps taken towards recentralization between 1972 and 1976, the reform measures introduced in 1980 and 1981 have re-established the original directions of the New Economic Mechanism in Hungary. The NEM, established in 1968, had aimed at replacing plan directives by market relations among firms, limiting the scope of central price determination, linking domestic prices to world-market prices, and increasingly decentralizing investment decisions. The recent reform measures are evaluated and possible future changes are considered. Price setting, exchange rate and protection, wage determination and personal income, investment decisions, and organizational structure are examined.     

Stochastic better-reply dynamics in finite games

In this paper, we analyze a model where individuals from finite populations are repeatedly drawn to play a finite game and in every period choose a weakly better reply to a sample distribution from a finite history of past play. For all finite games and sufficiently incomplete information, we prove convergence to minimal sets closed under better replies. This result complements previous findings in a deterministic continuous-time framework and implies convergence to strict Nash equilibria in many well-known classes of games.     

Currency Internationalization and the International Price System

Although China, now the world’s second largest economy and largest goods trading nation, has rolled out the ambitious currency internationalization protocol while maintaining strict capital controls for nearly a decade, the implications of this unique reform path on the international economy still present uncertainties. In this paper, we fill in this gap by developing a two country, two-goods model to investigate the impacts of currency internationalization on the international price system, which consists of goods market and factor market interactions. We propose a critical condition of sustainable currency internationalization and reveal high international price sensitivity to exchange rate adjustments.     

Strict rational expectations equilibria with diffuseness

For smooth static pure-exchange economies under uncertainty, it is shown that a diffuseness condition on the distribution of traders' characteristics as the state of the world varies permits one to use only a weak dimensionality restriction in the proof of the genericity of existence of strict rational expectations equilibria. A generic result on the amount of information conveyed by equilibrium price functions and comparisons with some examples of nonexistence are given.     

Europe '92. Decentralizing environmental policy in the single market

The creation of the EC's internal market by the end of 1992 appears to necessitate a harmonization of environmental policies in the European Community. Against this background, the paper analyzes the options for decentralizing environmental policy in Europe and indicates some limitations of this approach.It is shown that, in the case of stationary sources, a harmonization is not required whereas, in the case of international spillovers and global environmental systems, a decentralization of policies is possible if countries can agree on international diffusion norms or national emission quantities, respectively. A harmonization seems to be unavoidable if product norms have to be applied, e.g. in the case of pollutants in consumption goods. Generally, however, price instruments should be used wherever possible, since they allow for a regional differentiation of environmental qualities without segmenting European markets.     

Investigating regional house price convergence in the United States: Evidence from a pair-wise approach

In this paper we examine long-run house price convergence across US states using a novel econometric approach advocated by Pesaran (2007) and Pesaran et al. (2009). Our empirical modelling strategy employs a probabilistic test statistic for convergence based on the percentage of unit root rejections among all state house price differentials. Using a sieve bootstrap procedure, we construct confidence intervals and find evidence in favour of convergence. We also conclude that speed of adjustment towards long-run equilibrium is inversely related to distance.     

京津冀地区就业增长的空间集散趋势分析

都市圈是城市经济演化的高级空间形态,就业空间分布正是刻画区域空间结构特征的重要变量。以京津冀都市圈为例,首次利用两次经济普查的就业数据研究就业增长的空间集散特征。根据核密度分析结果确定都市圈内的京津石为一级就业中心,唐保沧张为二级就业中心,秦承廊为三级就业中心。京津冀就业的整体空间集散特征为仍在进一步集聚,且集聚特征稳定。空间统计表明:2004年和2008年京津冀都市区的重心均分布在廊坊境内,移动方向为东北向。北京、天津、石家庄、唐山、保定、沧州和廊坊所在的区域为京津冀都市圈的核心区,呈"东北—西南"分布模式。对比两年变化得出就业核心区范围在减小,密度在加大。分产业和行业来看,三次产业中第二产业就业分布最为均衡,第三产业分布最为集中,其中生产性服务业仍在进一步集中,而生活性服务业在扩散。     

Price Index Convergence Among United States Cities*

We study the dynamics of price indices for major U.S. cities using panel econometric methods and find that relative price levels among cities mean revert at an exceptionally slow rate. In a panel of 19 cities from 1918 to 1995, we estimate the half‐life of convergence to be approximately nine years. The surprisingly slow rate of convergence can be explained by a combination of the presence of transportation costs, differential speeds of adjustment to small and large shocks, and the inclusion of nontraded goods prices in the overall price index.     

Long-run analysis on convergence of Japanese local price levels: A pairwise approach

This paper investigates the convergence of local price levels within Japan, using long-run data spanning six decades and based on a pairwise approach. The analysis investigates convergence of all binary combinations of local price levels, rather than choosing a particular city as reference. The results indicate that the null hypothesis of no convergence is rejected, but also that a substantial portion of local price levels fail to converge within Japan. Convergence is limited to some extent. The extent does not substantially change over periods. The results also show that the likelihood of convergence is influenced by population growth rates and the distance between areas. With differing population growth rates and a large distance between locations, convergence between areas is unlikely.     

Advertising, Generic Competition and Price Regulation in Pharmaceutical Markets

The effect of price regulation on generic market entry and welfarein the presence of (persuasive) advertising is analysed. Anincumbent has the possibility to invest in advertising targetedat the physician. Advertising creates vertical product differentiationbetween brand-name drugs and its generic substitutes. This differentiationcreates the possibility to make positive profits for both firms.The presence of price regulation, however, reduces the anticipatedgeneric profits. If price regulation is too strict, then thegeneric firm will refrain from market entry. Hence, the modelconfirms the empirical observation that generic market sharesare lower in countries with strict price regulation. (JEL: I11,L13)