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Endogenous market incompleteness without market frictions: Dynamic suboptimality of competitive equilibrium in multiperiod overlapping generations economies

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  • Henriksen, Espen
  • Spear, Stephen

Abstract

In this paper, we show that within the set of stochastic three-period-lived OLG economies with productive assets (such as land), markets are necessarily sequentially incomplete, and agents in the model do not share risk optimally. We start by characterizing perfect risk-sharing and find that it requires state-dependent consumption claims which depend only on the exogenous shock realizations. We show then that the recursive competitive equilibrium of any overlapping generations economy with weakly more than three generations is not strongly stationary. This then allows us to show directly that there are short-run Pareto improvements possible in terms of risk-sharing and hence, that the recursive competitive equilibrium is not Pareto optimal. We then show that a financial reform which eliminates the equity asset and replaces it with zero net supply insurance contracts (Arrow securities) will implement to Pareto optimal stochastic steady-state known to exist in the model. Finally, we also show via numerical simulations that a system of government taxes and transfers can lead to a Pareto improvement over the competitive equilibrium in the model.

Suggested Citation

  • Henriksen, Espen & Spear, Stephen, 2012. "Endogenous market incompleteness without market frictions: Dynamic suboptimality of competitive equilibrium in multiperiod overlapping generations economies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 147(2), pages 426-449.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:147:y:2012:i:2:p:426-449
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2010.09.006
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhigang Feng & Matthew Hoelle, 2017. "Indeterminacy in stochastic overlapping generations models: real effects in the long run," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 63(2), pages 559-585, February.
    2. Luciana C. Fiorini, 2016. "Equilibrium Indeterminacy In A Model Of Constrained Financial Markets," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 57(3), pages 857-880, August.
    3. Waters, George A., 2020. "Productivity and welfare in an overlapping generations model with housing," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    4. Fabrizio Orrego, 2014. "Habit formation and indeterminacy in overlapping generations models," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 55(1), pages 225-241, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Stochastic overlapping generations; Incomplete markets;

    JEL classification:

    • D52 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Incomplete Markets
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis

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