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The screening role of market tightness in a competitive search equilibrium with adverse selection

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  • Chang, Hung-Chi
  • Li, Yiting

Abstract

This paper revisits Guerrieri, Shimer, and Wright (2010) (GSW) to study screening in a competitive search market with adverse selection. GSW show that there exists a unique separating equilibrium in which each type applies to a different contract, and their key sorting assumption involves a single-crossing property on agents' preferences. We show that GSW's main results hold under a weaker assumption on preference heterogeneity, called generalized sorting, and weakening the sorting assumption relies on explicitly considering the screening role of market tightness. The assumption can be weakened further if we assume that agents' matching probability strictly increases in market tightness. In addition to providing theoretical insights, we study examples to demonstrate how generalized sorting facilitates the study of market imperfections under search and informational frictions. In our examples, indivisibility, price limits, and the minimum wage violate GSW's sorting assumption but remain tractable under generalized sorting. Thus, an additional contribution of this paper is the expansion in applicability of GSW's approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Chang, Hung-Chi & Li, Yiting, 2025. "The screening role of market tightness in a competitive search equilibrium with adverse selection," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:225:y:2025:i:c:s0022053125000419
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2025.105995
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Veronica Guerrieri & Robert Shimer & Randall Wright, 2010. "Adverse Selection in Competitive Search Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(6), pages 1823-1862, November.
    2. Christopher J. Flinn, 2006. "Minimum Wage Effects on Labor Market Outcomes under Search, Matching, and Endogenous Contact Rates," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 74(4), pages 1013-1062, July.
    3. Benjamin Lester & Ali Shourideh & Venky Venkateswaran & Ariel Zetlin-Jones, 2019. "Screening and Adverse Selection in Frictional Markets," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(1), pages 338-377.
    4. Basil Williams, 2021. "Search, Liquidity, and Retention: Screening Multidimensional Private Information," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(5), pages 1487-1507.
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    6. Madison, Florian, 2019. "Frictional asset reallocation under adverse selection," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 115-130.
    7. Sarah Auster & Piero Gottardi & Ronald Wolthoff, 2022. "Simultaneous Search and Adverse Selection," Working Papers tecipa-734, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    8. Eeckhout, Jan & Kircher, Philipp, 2010. "Sorting versus screening: Search frictions and competing mechanisms," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 145(4), pages 1354-1385, July.
    9. Athanasios Geromichalos & Lucas Herrenbrueck, 2016. "Monetary Policy, Asset Prices, and Liquidity in Over‐the‐Counter Markets," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(1), pages 35-79, February.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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