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Efficiency and equilibrium when preferences are time-inconsistent

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  • Luttmer, Erzo G. J.
  • Mariotti, Thomas

Abstract

We consider an exchange economy with time-inconsistent consumers whose preferences are additively separable. When these consumers trade in a sequence of markets, their time-inconsistency may introduce a non-convexity that gives them an incentive to trade lotteries. If there are many consumers, competitive equilibria with and without lotteries exist. The existence of symmetric equilibria may require lotteries. Symmetric equilibria that do not require lotteries are generically locally unique. Allocations that are Pareto efficient at the initial date are also renegotiation-proof. Competitive equilibria are Pareto efficient in this sense, and for generic endowments, if and only if preferences are locally homothetic. For non-homothetic preferences, the introduction of lottery markets has an ambiguous impact on the equilibrium welfare of consumers at the initial date.

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  • Luttmer, Erzo G. J. & Mariotti, Thomas, 2003. "Efficiency and equilibrium when preferences are time-inconsistent," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 19320, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:19320
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    Cited by:

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    2. Tommaso Gabrieli & Sayantan Ghosal, 2013. "Non-existence of competitive equilibria with dynamically inconsistent preferences," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 52(1), pages 299-313, January.
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    4. Bernes Karaçay & Murat Yýmaz, 2016. "A Dynamic Investment Model under Time-Inconsistency," Bogazici Journal, Review of Social, Economic and Administrative Studies, Bogazici University, Department of Economics, vol. 30(1), pages 23-49.
    5. Dziewulski, Paweł, 2015. "Efficiency of competitive equilibria in economies with time-dependent preferences," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 159(PA), pages 311-325.
    6. Chatterjee, Satyajit & Eyigungor, Burcu, 2016. "Continuous Markov equilibria with quasi-geometric discounting," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 467-494.
    7. Ambec, Stefan & Treich, Nicolas, 2007. "Roscas as financial agreements to cope with self-control problems," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 120-137, January.
    8. Takeshi Ojima, 2018. "General Equilibrium Dynamics with Naïve and Sophisticated Hyperbolic Consumers in an Overlapping Generations Economy," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 85(338), pages 281-304, April.
    9. Kang, Jingoo & Kang, Minwook, 2022. "Durable goods as commitment devices under quasi-hyperbolic discounting," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    10. Joydeep Bhattacharya & Monisankar Bishnu & Min Wang, 2023. "Credit Markets with time-inconsistent agents and strategic loan default," Discussion Papers 23-01, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dynamic inconsistency; competitive equilibrium; lotteries; generic inefficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • D50 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - General

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