Discount development in france: The introduction of the format and the competitive response

This article aims to set forth and clarify the factors that caused the rapid development of the hard discount business in France over the past 2 years and to highlight their key impacts. The hard discount business is supposed to have triggered an “intratype” competitive reaction by many French companies which diversified their businesses into this segment, as well as an “intertype” set of reactions by both supermarkets and hypermarkets which implemented the new strategies described in this article based on either cost‐cutting policies and/or trade names differentiation. Conclusions may be drawn following an analysis of the features of this formula as well as the consumers' and competitors' responses. One conclusion may be that the discounters are also bound to increase their market share further once the economic crisis is over. In fact, this business meets the on‐going purchasing and shopping needs by most of the consumers.     

Incentive compatible core and competitive equilibria in differential information economies

Summary. If the allocations of a differential information economy are defined as incentive compatible state-contingent lotteries over consumption goods, competitive equilibrium allocations exist and belong to the (ex ante incentive) core. Furthermore, any competitive equilibrium allocation can be viewed as an element of the core of the n-fold replicated economy, for every n. The converse holds under the further assumption of independent private values but not in general, as shown by a counter-example. Received: August 9, 1999; revised version: September 12, 1999     

Der Umweltberatungsmarkt in Deutschland

The paper will analysis the market segment of management oriented environmental consulting in Germany. First, the environment consulting is classified to the theoretical field of consulting. On this basis, qualitative and quantitative market analysis is done. Furthermore, the function of the public authorities as third actor in the consulting system is identified. Finally, an outlook of the market development of environmental consulting in the next years is given.     

A class of statistical models to weaken independence in two-way contingency tables

In this paper we study a new class of statistical models for contingency tables. We define this class of models through a subset of the binomial equations of the classical independence model. We prove that they are log-linear and we use some notions from Algebraic Statistics to compute their sufficient statistic and their parametric representation. Moreover, we show how to compute maximum likelihood estimates and to perform exact inference through the Diaconis-Sturmfels algorithm. Examples show that these models can be useful in a wide range of applications.     

THE IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA1

This study investigates the hypothesis that HIV/AIDS epidemic slows down the pace of economic growth. We examine 41 Sub‐Saharan African countries by using the empirical growth equation in an augmented Solow model in which health capital serves as a determinant of human capital. Econometric analysis is based on panel data and covers the period 1997‐2005. We control for a variety of factors possibly correlated with HIV prevalence that might also influence economic growth. As a key result we prove that the epidemic has a significant negative effect on the growth rate of per capita GDP in Sub‐Saharan Africa.     

Imitation, patent protection, and welfare

Newly developed technologies run the risk of being imitatedwhen patents are long and imitation cost is low. This papershows that the innovator has the incentive to postpone technologyadoption when imitation is a credible threat but imitation costis not below a certain threshold. The possibility of licensingeliminates or at least reduces the incentive for delayed technologyadoption. Further, this paper explains the advantages of a forwardlicensing contract versus a simple licensing contract in termsof profits and social welfare.     

Francesco Marchi and the Development of Logismology

This study aims to provide an outline of the contribution made by Francesco Marchi to the personalistic theory of accounts in the context of the evolution of the language of logismology. In particular, our attention is focused on the increase in the quality of the theoretical arguments in this field made possible by the innovative contribution provided by Marchi which, for the first time, made logismology the object of a systematic and structured analysis.     

A note on capital goods durability in the Walrasian theory of capital formation and credit

Journal of Economics -     

Is There an Austrian Approach to Transition?

This paper discusses the meaning of the term transition and its implications for policy making. It is suggested that an Austrian view would enhance a better understanding of what has been happening in Central and Eastern Europe in the past decade. Within this framework, the analysis should be based on three criteria: acquisition of knowledge, individual responsibility, free entry. It concludes that future transition analysis should devote more attention to the way a number of subjectivistic features drive institutional change, as well as to the features of the new opportunity sets made available to individuals.