IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unm/umamet/2000008.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Pareto Improving Price Regulation When the Asset Market Is Incomplete

Author

Listed:
  • Herings P. Jean-Jacques
  • Polemarchakis H. M.

    (METEOR)

Abstract

When the asset market is incomplete, competitive equilibria are constrained suboptimal, which provides scope for Pareto improving interventions. Price regulation can be such a Pareto improving policy, even when the welfare effects of rationing are taken into account. An appealing aspect of price regulation is that it operates anonymously on market variables. The welfare analysis of price regulation calls for an extension of the equilibrium theory of incomplete markets to fix-price equilibria.Fix-price equilibria exist under standard assumptions. There are robust examples, however, for which at regulated prices close to competitive prices, there are no fix-price equilibria close to competitive equilibria. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the local uniqueness of fix-price equilibria, and show that under these conditions Pareto improving price regulation is generically possible.

Suggested Citation

  • Herings P. Jean-Jacques & Polemarchakis H. M., 2000. "Pareto Improving Price Regulation When the Asset Market Is Incomplete," Research Memorandum 008, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:umamet:2000008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/portal/files/729534/content
    Download Restriction: no

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mas-Colell,Andreu, 1990. "The Theory of General Economic Equilibrium," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521388702, March.
    2. Kajii Atsushi, 1994. "Anonymity and Optimality of Competitive Equilibria when Markets Are Incomplete," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 115-129, October.
    3. Paul A. Samuelson, 1972. "The Consumer Does Benefit from Feasible Price Stability," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 86(3), pages 476-493.
    4. Dreze, Jacques H. & Gollier, Christian, 1993. "Risk sharing on the labour market and second-best wage rigidities," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 1457-1482, December.
    5. Debreu, Gerard, 1970. "Economies with a Finite Set of Equilibria," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 38(3), pages 387-392, May.
    6. Geanakoplos, J. D. & Polemarchakis, H. M., 1990. "Observability and optimality," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1-2), pages 153-165.
    7. Polemarchakis, H M, 1979. "Incomplete Markets, Price Regulation, and Welfare," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(4), pages 662-669, September.
    8. Debreu, Gerard, 1972. "Smooth Preferences," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 40(4), pages 603-615, July.
    9. Barro, Robert J & Grossman, Herschel I, 1971. "A General Disequilibrium Model of Income and Employment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 82-93, March.
    10. Atsushi Kajii & Antonio Villanacci & Alessandro Citanna, 1998. "Constrained suboptimality in incomplete markets: a general approach and two applications," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 11(3), pages 495-521.
    11. Laroque, Guy, 1978. "The Fixed Price Equilibria: Some Results in Local Comparative Statics," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(5), pages 1127-1154, September.
    12. Citanna, A. & Polemarchakis, H.M. & Tirelli, M., 2006. "The taxation of trades in assets," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 126(1), pages 299-313, January.
    13. Frederick V. Waugh, 1972. "A Comment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 86(3), pages 499-499.
    14. David M. G. Newbery & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 1984. "Pareto Inferior Trade," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 51(1), pages 1-12.
    15. KÜBLER, Felix & POLEMARCHAKIS, Heracles, 1999. "The identification of preferences from the equilibrium prices of commodities and assets," CORE Discussion Papers 1999033, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    16. Dreze, Jacques H, 1975. "Existence of an Exchange Equilibrium under Price Rigidities," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 16(2), pages 301-320, June.
    17. Guy Laroque, 1981. "On the Local Uniqueness of the Fixed Price Equilibria," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(1), pages 113-129.
    18. Jean-Pascal Benassy, 1975. "Neo-Keynesian Disequilibrium Theory in a Monetary Economy," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 42(4), pages 503-523.
    19. Walter Y. Oi, 1972. "The Consumer Does Benefit from Feasible Price Stability: A Comment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 86(3), pages 494-498.
    20. Nguyen, Trien T. & Whalley, John, 1986. "Equilibrium under price controls with endogenous transactions costs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 290-300, August.
    21. Hart, Oliver D., 1975. "On the optimality of equilibrium when the market structure is incomplete," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 418-443, December.
    22. David Cass & Alessandro Citanna, 1998. "Pareto improving financial innovation in incomplete markets," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 11(3), pages 467-494.
    23. Laroque, Guy & Polemarchakis, Heraklis, 1978. "On the structure of the set of fixed price equilibria," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 53-69, March.
    24. Paul A. Samuelson, 1972. "Rejoinder," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 86(3), pages 500-503.
    25. Paul Madden, 1982. "Catastrophic Walrasian Equilibrium from the Non-Walrasian Viewpoint: A Three-good Macroeconomic Example," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(4), pages 661-667.
    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. Weerachart T. Kilenthong & Robert M. Townsend, 2014. "A Market Based Solution to Price Externalities: A Generalized Framework," NBER Working Papers 20275, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Jacques H. Drèze & P. Jean-Jacques Herings, 2008. "Kinky perceived demand curves and Keynes-Negishi equilibria," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 4(2), pages 207-246.
    3. Jean-Marc Bonnisseau & Elena Mercato, 2010. "Externalities, consumption constraints and regular economies," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 44(1), pages 123-147, July.
    4. Herings, P. Jean-Jacques & van der Laan, Gerard & Talman, Dolf, 2009. "Equilibria with coordination failures," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1-2), pages 23-37, January.
    5. Kubler, F. & Chiappori, P. -A. & Ekeland, I. & Polemarchakis, H. M., 2002. "The Identification of Preferences from Equilibrium Prices under Uncertainty," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 102(2), pages 403-420, February.
    6. Herings, P. Jean-Jacques & Konovalov, Alexander, 2009. "Constrained suboptimality when prices are non-competitive," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1-2), pages 43-58, January.
    7. Jacques Drèze & Alain Durré & Jacques Drèze & Jean-François Carpantier, 2014. "Fiscal Integration and Growth Stimulation in Europe," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 80(2), pages 5-45.
    8. Citanna, A. & Polemarchakis, H.M. & Tirelli, M., 2006. "The taxation of trades in assets," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 126(1), pages 299-313, January.
    9. Gaël Giraud, 2004. "Walrasian non-tâtonnement with incomplete and imperfect markets," Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques b04119, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1).
    10. Habis, Helga & Herings, P. Jean-Jacques, 2011. "Core concepts for incomplete market economies," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(4-5), pages 595-609.
    11. Mendolicchio, C. & Pietra, T., 2016. "Endowment redistribution and Pareto improvements in GEI economies," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 181-190.
    12. repec:eee:mateco:v:72:y:2017:i:c:p:122-133 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Herings P.J.J., 2015. "Equilibrium and matching under price controls," Research Memorandum 001, Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics (GSBE).
    14. KÜBLER, Felix & POLEMARCHAKIS, Heracles, 1999. "The identification of preferences from the equilibrium prices of commodities and assets," CORE Discussion Papers 1999033, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    15. Habis Helga & Herings P. Jean-Jacques, 2009. "Cooperation Under Incomplete Contracting," Research Memorandum 026, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    16. Marko Backovic & Zoran Popovic, 2012. "The Analysis Of Model Of General Economic Equilibrium And Financial Instability Of Economic System," Montenegrin Journal of Economics, Economic Laboratory for Transition Research (ELIT), vol. 8(1), pages 63-85.
    17. Konstantinides, Dimitrios G. & Kountzakis, Christos E., 2011. "Risk measures in ordered normed linear spaces with non-empty cone-interior," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 111-122, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    microeconomics ;

    JEL classification:

    • D45 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Rationing; Licensing
    • D52 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Incomplete Markets
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General

    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:unm:umamet:2000008. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Leonne Portz). General contact details of provider: http://edirc.repec.org/data/meteonl.html .

    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 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.

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.