IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jetheo/v143y2008i1p442-468.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A characterization of inefficiency in stochastic overlapping generations economies

Author

Listed:
  • Bloise, Gaetano
  • Calciano, Filippo L.

Abstract

In this paper, we provide a characterization of interim inefficiency in stochastic economies of overlapping generations. With respect to the established body of results in the literature, we allow for sequentially incomplete markets and we remove the hypothesis of two-period horizons, by considering longer, though uniformly bounded, horizons for generations. The characterization exploits a suitably Modified Cass Criterion, based entirely on observable prices and independent of the length of the horizons of generations. For sequentially incomplete markets, we introduce a notion of unambiguous inefficiency, separating the inefficient intertemporal allocation of resources from incomplete risk-sharing. Unambiguous inefficiency reduces to inefficiency when markets are sequentially complete. Furthermore, our analysis shows that the hypothesis of two-period horizons is purely heuristic in establishing a criterion for inefficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Bloise, Gaetano & Calciano, Filippo L., 2008. "A characterization of inefficiency in stochastic overlapping generations economies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 143(1), pages 442-468, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:143:y:2008:i:1:p:442-468
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022-0531(08)00033-1
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:dau:papers:123456789/601 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Cass, David, 1972. "On capital overaccumulation in the aggregative, neoclassical model of economic growth: A complete characterization," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 200-223, April.
    3. Aliprantis, C. D. & Florenzano, M. & Martins-da-Rocha, V. F. & Tourky, R., 2004. "Equilibrium analysis in financial markets with countably many securities," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 683-699, September.
    4. Chattopadhyay, Subir & Gottardi, Piero, 1999. "Stochastic OLG Models, Market Structure, and Optimality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 21-67, November.
    5. Paul A. Samuelson, 1958. "An Exact Consumption-Loan Model of Interest with or without the Social Contrivance of Money," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66(6), pages 467-467.
    6. Rao Aiyagari, S. & Peled, Dan, 1991. "Dominant root characterization of Pareto optimality and the existence of optimal equilibria in stochastic overlapping generations models," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 69-83, June.
    7. Balasko, Yves & Cass, David & Shell, Karl, 1980. "Existence of competitive equilibrium in a general overlapping-generations model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 307-322, December.
    8. Masahiro Okuno & Itzhak Zilcha, 1980. "On the Efficiency of a Competitive Equilibrium in Infinite Horizon Monetary Economies," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 47(4), pages 797-807.
    9. Geanakoplos, John D. & Polemarchakis, Heraklis M., 1991. "Overlapping generations," Handbook of Mathematical Economics, in: W. Hildenbrand & H. Sonnenschein (ed.), Handbook of Mathematical Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 35, pages 1899-1960, Elsevier.
    10. Aliprantis, C. D. & Brown, D. J. & Polyrakis, I. A. & Werner, J., 1998. "Portfolio dominance and optimality in infinite security markets," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 347-366, October.
    11. Molina-Abraldes, Antonio & Pintos-Clapes, Juan, 2003. "A complete characterization of Pareto optimality for general OLG economies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 113(2), pages 235-252, December.
    12. Benveniste, Lawrence M., 1976. "A complete characterization of efficiency for a general capital accumulation model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 325-337, April.
    13. Burke, Jonathan L., 1987. "Inactive transfer policies and efficiency in general overlapping-generations economies," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 201-222, June.
    14. Balasko, Yves & Shell, Karl, 1980. "The overlapping-generations model, I: The case of pure exchange without money," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 281-306, December.
    15. Lawrence M. Benveniste, 1986. "Pricing Optimal Distributions to Overlapping Generations: A Corollary to Efficiency Pricing," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 53(2), pages 301-306.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fabrizio Orrego & Stephen Spear, "undated". "Sequential incompleteness and dynamic suboptimality in stochastic OLG economies with production," GSIA Working Papers 2012-E38, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business.
    2. Bloise, Gaetano & Reichlin, Pietro, 2011. "Asset prices, debt constraints and inefficiency," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 146(4), pages 1520-1546, July.
    3. Eisei Ohtaki, 2023. "Optimality in an OLG model with nonsmooth preferences," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 19(3), pages 611-659, September.
    4. Orrego, Fabrizio, 2011. "Sequential incompleteness and dynamic suboptimality in stochastic OLG economies with production," Working Papers 2011-014, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú.
    5. Eisei Ohtaki & Hiroyuki Ozaki, 2014. "Optimality in a Stochastic OLG Model with Ambiguity," Working Papers e069, Tokyo Center for Economic Research.
    6. Becker, Robert A. & Mitra, Tapan, 2012. "Efficient Ramsey Equilibria," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(S1), pages 18-32, April.
    7. Ohtaki, Eisei, 2013. "Golden rule optimality in stochastic OLG economies," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 60-66.
    8. Chattopadhyay, Subir, 2018. "The unit root property and optimality with a continuum of states—Pure exchange," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 105-118.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bloise, Gaetano, 2008. "Efficiency and prices in economies of overlapping generations," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 200-224, July.
    2. Gaetano Bloise & Filippo L. Calciano, 2007. "A Note On The Characterization Of Inefficiency In Stochastic Overlapping Generations Economies," Departmental Working Papers of Economics - University 'Roma Tre' 0083, Department of Economics - University Roma Tre.
    3. Molina-Abraldes, Antonio & Pintos-Clapés, Juan, 2008. "Pareto optimality in continuous-time OLG economies," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(9-10), pages 933-950, September.
    4. Chattopadhyay, Subir & Gottardi, Piero, 1999. "Stochastic OLG Models, Market Structure, and Optimality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 21-67, November.
    5. Barbie, Martin & Hagedorn, Marcus & Kaul, Ashok, 2000. "Dynamic Efficiency and Pareto Optimality in a Stochastic OLG Model with Production and Social Security," IZA Discussion Papers 209, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Chattopadhyay, Subir, 2006. "Optimality in stochastic OLG models: Theory for tests," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 131(1), pages 282-294, November.
    7. Chattopadhyay, Subir, 2018. "The unit root property and optimality with a continuum of states—Pure exchange," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 105-118.
    8. Rao Aiyagari, S., 1992. "Walras' Law and nonoptimal equilibria in overlapping generations models," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 343-361.
    9. Chattopadhyay, Subir, 2008. "The Cass criterion, the net dividend criterion, and optimality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 139(1), pages 335-352, March.
    10. Barbie, Martin & Hagedorn, Marcus & Kaul, Ashok, 2007. "On the interaction between risk sharing and capital accumulation in a stochastic OLG model with production," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 137(1), pages 568-579, November.
    11. Molina-Abraldes, Antonio & Pintos-Clapes, Juan, 2003. "A complete characterization of Pareto optimality for general OLG economies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 113(2), pages 235-252, December.
    12. J. Ignacio Conde-Ruiz & Eduardo L. Giménez & Mikel Pérez-Nievas, 2010. "Millian Efficiency with Endogenous Fertility," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 77(1), pages 154-187.
    13. Jean-Marc Bonnisseau & Lalaina Rakotonindrainy, 2015. "A note on the characterization of optimal allocations in OLG models with multiple goods," Post-Print halshs-01158117, HAL.
    14. Jean-Marc Bonnisseau & Lalaina Rakotonindrainy, 2015. "A note on the characterization of optimal allocations in OLG economies with multiple goods," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 15003, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    15. Barbie, Martin & Hagedorn, Marcus & Kaul, Ashok, 2001. "Government Debt as Insurance against Macroeconomic Risk," IZA Discussion Papers 412, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Philippe Weil, 2008. "Overlapping Generations: The First Jubilee," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 22(4), pages 115-134, Fall.
    17. d’Albis, Hippolyte & Augeraud-Véron, Emmanuelle & Hupkes, Hermen Jan, 2015. "Local determinacy of prices in an overlapping generations model with continuous trading," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 16-24.
    18. Bertocchi, Graziella & Kehagias, Athanasios, 1995. "Efficiency and optimality in stochastic models with production," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 19(1-2), pages 303-325.
    19. Martin Barbie & Marten Hillebrand, 2018. "Bubbly Markov equilibria," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 66(3), pages 627-679, October.
    20. Kehoe, Timothy J. & Levine, David K., 1990. "The economics of indeterminacy in overlapping generations models," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 219-243, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Stochastic overlapping generations economies Inefficiency Competitive prices Cass Criterion Social security Incomplete markets;

    JEL classification:

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

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:143:y:2008:i:1:p:442-468. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622869 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.