The role of the list price in housing markets: Theory and an econometric model

Houses are routinely sold at prices below, but rarely sold at prices above, their list prices. List prices appear to be price ceilings that preclude the possibility of sales at higher prices. This paper presents a theory of sellers' behaviour that explains why there are list prices in housing markets and why list prices are distinct from sellers' reservation prices. The theory forms the basis of an econometric model that has been estimated using data from the Baltimore, MD, area. The estimated model predicts sale and reservation prices conditional on list prices. The predictions of sale prices are considerably more accurate than those obtained from a standard hedonic price regression. The estimated model also explains why sellers may not be willing to reduce their list prices even after their houses have remained unsold for long periods of time.     

Auditors' prior probability distributions for account balances

This paper reports the results of a study in which practicing auditors assessed prior probability distributions (PPDs) for account balances. Assessed PPDs are found to exhibit desirable characteristics, including a sensitivity to the relative strength of internal controls. The study establishes that it is possible for auditors to assess account balance PPDs and, thereby, paves the way for cost effectiveness comparisons of the Bayesian and classical approaches to audit inference.     

Finding your innovation sweet spot

Most new product ideas are either uninspired or impractical. So how can developers hit the innovation sweet spot--far enough from existing products to attract real interest but close enough that they are feasible to make and market? They can apply five innovation patterns that manipulate existing components of a product and its immediate environment to come up with something both ingenious and viable, say the authors. The subtraction pattern works by removing product components, particularly those that seem desirable or indispensable. Think of the legless high chair that attaches to the kitchen table. The multiplication pattern makes one or more copies of an existing component, then alters those copies in some important way. For example, the Gillette double-bladed razor features a second blade that cuts whiskers at a slightly different angle. By dividing an existing product into its component parts--the division pattern--you can see something that was an integrated whole in an entirely different light. Think of the modern home stereo--it has modular speakers, tuners, and CD and tape players, which allow users to customize their sound systems. The task unification pattern involves assigning a new task to an existing product element or environmental attribute, thereby unifying two tasks in a single component. An example is the defrosting filament in an automobile windshield that also serves as a radio antenna. Finally, the attribute dependency pattern alters or creates the dependent relationships between a product and its environment. For example, by creating a dependent relationship between lens color and external lighting conditions, eyeglass developers came up with a lens that changes color when exposed to sunlight.     

On the use and nonuse of entry deterrents

This article considers the potential-competition issue from the perspective of managements acknowledging their inability to make perfect predictions as to their potential competitors' entry plans. This concession can greatly restrict the extent to which the threat of entry affects price and production decisions, when one takes a decision-theoretic, hypothesis-testing approach to the possible use of an entry deterrent. Within this setting, the article elucidates conditions under which firms will elect to ignore perceived potential competitors.     

A Property Tax Base Model

This model analyzes fiscal year changes and shifts in local government's real property tax base. The three variables quantified by this analysis are net new development, change in assessment-market price ratio and appreciation. The model's results provide useful analytical data to taxpayers and policy makers. These data can be used to help determine policy actions relative to (1) the amount and type of development and its impact on the future fiscal position of the respective jurisdiction; (2) the equity of the various property classes' assessment-sales price ratios; and (3) possibly altering the rate of appreciation among the various classes. The model might also be used on a sub-area basis to help determine prospering and declining areas, and to help forecast the property tax base and revenue.     

Migration,Transfers and Child Labor

We examine agricultural child labor in the context of emigration, transfers and the ability to hire outside labor. We start by developing a theoretical background and show how hiring labor from outside the household and transfers to the household might induce a reduction in children's working hours. Analysis using Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) data on the Kagera region in Tanzania lend support to the hypothesis that both emigration and remittances reduce child labor.