Robust pricing with refunds

Before purchase, a buyer of an experience good learns about the product's fit using various information sources, including some of which the seller may be unaware of. The buyer, however, can conclusively learn the fit only after purchasing and trying out the product. We show that the seller can use a simple mechanism to take best advantage of the buyer's post-purchase learning to maximize his guaranteed-profit. We show that this mechanism combines a generous refund, which performs well when the buyer is relatively informed, with non-refundable random discounts, which work well when the buyer is relatively uninformed.     

Welfare implications of commodity price stabilization with partially flexible production,private storage and buffer-stock costs

Zusammenfassung Wohlfahrtsimplikationen einer Stabilisierung der Güterpreise bei partiell flexibler Produktion, privater Lagerhaltung und Kosten einer buffer-stock-Politik. - In diesem Aufsatz wird die traditionelle Literatur von Waugh-Oi-Massell zur Stabilisierung der Güterpreise auf ein Modell mit rationalen Erwartungen ausgedehnt, das eine partiell flexible Produktion, eine private Lagerhaltung zu Wettbewerbsbedingungen und die Kosten der Stabilisierungsbeh?rde für ihre buffer-stock-Politik umfa\t. Die Stabilisierung der Preise verbessert die Wohlfahrt jeder Gruppe, wenn die St?rungen im eigenen Bereich auftreten, vermindert aber die Wohlfahrt, wenn die St?rungen die Nachfrage oder das Angebot anderer Gruppen betreffen. Der private Sektor insgesamt gewinnt unzweideutig von der Preisstabilisierung, w?hrend die Stabilisierungsbeh?rden immer verlieren. Die Preisstabilisierung mag vielleicht die gesamte Gesellschaft (d.h. den privaten und den ?ffentlichen Sektor) einige Zeit besserstellen, im Endergebnis dürfte sie aber einen Verlust an potentieller sozialer Wohlfahrt verursachen.

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Résumé Des implications de bien-être d’une stabilisation de prix avec production partiellement flexible, stockage privé et co?ts de stock régulateur. - Cet article étend la littérature traditionnelle de Waugh-Oi-Massell sur la stabilisation de prix à un modèle d’expectative rationnelle qui inclut une production partiellement flexible, un stockage privé compétitif et des co?ts des autorités pour les opérations de stock régulateur. Une stabilisation de prix améliore le bien-être de chaque groupe, si les perturbances se passent dans leurs domains, mais elle réduit le bien-être si les perturbances affectuent la demande ou l’offre d’autres groupes. Le secteur privé en ensemble gagne sans aucun doute de la stabilité de prix pendant que les autorités de stabilisation perdent toujours. Une stabilisation de prix pourrait améliorer la situation de la société entière (c.-à.-d. les secteurs privés et publiques) pour quelque temps, mais éventuellement pourrait générer une perte de bien-être potentiel social.

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Resumen Implicaciones para el bienestar de la estabilización de precios de materias primas bajo productión parcialmente flexible, almacenamiento privado y costos de buffer stocks. - Este trabajo extiende el modelo traditional de Waugh-Oi-Massell de estabilización de precios de materias primas a uno de expectativas racionales con production parcialmente flexible, almacenamiento privado competitivo y costos de operaciones buffer stock. La estabilización de precios aumenta el bienestar de cada grupo con respecte a sus propias perturbaciones y reduce el bienestar con respecte a perturbaciones que inciden sobre la demanda o la oferta de otros grupos. El sector privado claramente gana con precios estables, mientras que las autoridades responsables de la estabilización siempre pierden. La estabilización podría mejorar el bienestar de la sociedad entera (o sea de los sectores privado y estatal) por un eierte tiempo, mas posiblemente daría lugar a una pérdida potencial de bienestar social.

     

The Role of Nominal Anchor Currencies in Exchange Rate Arrangements

This paper studies the evolution of exchange rate arrangements of almost all countries in the world over the period 1970–1996. It examines both officially reported and empirically observed exchange rate arrangements. Several findings are obtained. First, the relative economic size of countries under fixed exchange rate regimes has not declined as dramatically as the measure based on reported arrangements would indicate. Second, the U.S. dollar has been the most dominant, global anchor currency because many developing economies, particularly those in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, have attempted to stabilize their exchange rates to the dollar. Third, the reserve currency composition is determined by the constructed measure of the net currency-area size in addition to the own-economic size of the reserve currency country. Fourth, as a result of the transition to the final stage of EMU, the euro is expected to emerge as the world's second most dominant anchor currency. While the Japanese yen will continue to play a less significant role as nominal anchor, its role in East Asia is expected to rise gradually.J. Japan. Int. Econ.December 1998,12(4), pp. 334–387. World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20433 and Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan.Copyright 1998 Academic Press.Journal of Economic LiteratureClassification Numbers F31, F33, F36.     

Reform of the Japanese banking system

Japan has experienced a decade-long economic stagnation with a distressed banking sector in the 1990s. The absence of a credit culture to rigorously assess and price credit risks of borrowers, aggravated by weak prudential and supervisory frameworks, in the 1980s, the collapse of the asset price bubble in the early 1990s, and the lack of decisive, comprehensive strategy to address the banking sector problem at an early stage were largely responsible for the emergence of banking sector problems. All of these allowed a systemic banking crisis to emerge in 1997–98 and a large output loss during 1998–2002. The crisis ultimately prompted the government to take a more aggressive policy to tackle the problem. Considerable progress has been made since then on banking sector stabilization, restructuring, and consolidation. The regulatory and supervisory framework has been strengthened in a way consistent with an increasingly market-oriented, globalized environment. As a result, the worst is over in the Japanese banking system, setting the stage for sustained economic recovery. Though bank capital may still be inadequate, safety nets are in place, and credit allocation has been made more rational. Remaining risks are limited to regional and smaller institutions that are vulnerable to weak, local economic conditions and hikes of the long-term interest rate.

Stakeholder pressures,EMS implementation,and green innovation in MNC overseas subsidiaries

In this paper, we address the issue of green innovation by the overseas subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs). Drawing upon stakeholder theory and institutional theory, we propose a conceptual model to explain how stakeholder pressures in host countries prompt MNC subsidiaries to undertake green product and process innovations. Our findings indicate that MNC subsidiaries need to meet market stakeholders’ pressures in order to achieve social legitimacy in host countries, and that the implementation of formal environmental management systems (EMS) is an important mechanism translating these pressures into green innovation initiatives. Furthermore, we find that the positive relationship between market stakeholder pressures and EMS implementation is reinforced by global ‘green’ institutional pressures in the different host countries.     

The Determinants of the Location of Foreign Direct Investment by Japanese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Japanese manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have actively undertaken Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Asia since the mid-1980s. FDI contributes to economic growth of the FDI recipient countries, as it brings in not only financial resources for investment but also technologies and managerial know-how, which are important factors for promoting economic growth. Recognizing these benefits of receiving FDI, policy makers in developing countries have formulated various strategies to attract FDI. This paper examines the factors in the host countries that would attract FDI by Japanese SMEs. Our results show the importance of both supply-side and demand-side factors in the recipient countries for attracting FDI by Japanese SMEs. Supply-side factors include abundance of low-wage labor, availability of well-developed infrastructure, and good governance of the host government, while an important demand-side factor is the presence of sizable local market. In addition, Japanese SMEs regard industrial agglomeration, which has a element of both supply and demand factors, as an important factors making FDI decision. Supply-side factors are found to be important for attracting Japanese FDI in developing countries, while demand-factors play a role in attracting Japanese FDI in developed countries. A comparison of the results for SMEs to those for large firms reveals that SMEs are more sensitive to the conditions in the host countries in making their FDI decision. In particular, SMEs regard the availability of low-wage labor, well-developed infrastructure, and industrial agglomeration as important elements much more than large firms. High sensitivity of SMEs to local economic conditions in their decision on FDI location may be explained by their limited availability of financial and human resources and high dependence on overseas production in their business. In light of these findings, we conclude that countries interested in hosting FDI have to provide a very attractive business environment.     

TOWARD A REGIONAL EXCHANGE RATE REGIME IN EAST ASIA

Abstract.  Deepening market-driven economic integration in East Asia makes intraregional exchange rate across the region increasingly desirable and necessary. The paper suggests that East Asia's emerging economies begin to choose a currency basket as a monetary policy anchor to enable all East Asian currencies to collectively appreciate vis-à-vis the US dollar, while maintaining intraregional rate stability, in the event of surges of capital inflows or a rapid unwinding of global payments imbalances. Following this initial step, East Asia may agree on more rigid intraregional exchange rate stabilization schemes through, for example, an Asian Snake or an Asian Exchange Rate Mechanism.     

China–Japan–United States integration amid global rebalancing: A computable general equilibrium analysis

Using a global general equilibrium trade model, this paper assesses the long-term implications of global rebalancing for Asian economies and explores the benefits of China–Japan–United States (US) integration. The analysis suggests that consumption evaporation, a growth slowdown in the US, and the consequent current account correction would force China, Japan, and other East Asian economies to undergo substantial structural adjustments. A combination of domestic reform aimed at boosting service sector productivity and external liberalization aimed at fostering broader economic integration will be critical for East Asian economies to facilitate their economic rebalancing and sustained growth. Our global computable general equilibrium (CGE) analysis suggests that China and Japan need to strengthen their economic ties with the US while at the same time bringing other East Asian economies into this integration process.