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Assessing Aggregate Tests of Efficiency for Dynamic Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Barbie Martin

    (Universität Karlsruhe)

  • Hagedorn Marcus

    (University of Bonn)

  • Kaul Ashok

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Abstract

In a seminal contribution Abel, Mankiw, Summers, and Zeckhauser (1989) show that from an aggregate dynamic perspective the US economy is Pareto efficient. We argue that, when applying their test, they implicitly make strong assumptions about the economy's future behavior. We show how time series evidence may easily lead to wrong conclusions about the welfare properties of real world economies.We present a test criterion based on Zilcha (1991) and robust evidence that the US economy does not overaccumulate capital. Our contribution highlights that the distinction between efficient capital accumulation and Pareto efficiency is empirically relevant. The latter efficiency benchmark - encompassing also risk sharing issues - cannot be rigorously tested based on available approaches in the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Barbie Martin & Hagedorn Marcus & Kaul Ashok, 2004. "Assessing Aggregate Tests of Efficiency for Dynamic Economies," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 4(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejmac:v:topics.4:y:2004:i:1:n:16
    DOI: 10.2202/1534-5998.1207
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Chattopadhyay, Subir, 2008. "The Cass criterion, the net dividend criterion, and optimality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 139(1), pages 335-352, March.
    2. Kevin Luo & Tomoko Kinugasa & Kai Kajitani, 2020. "Dynamic Efficiency in World Economy," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2020(5), pages 522-544.
    3. Philippe Weil, 2008. "Overlapping Generations: The First Jubilee," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 22(4), pages 115-134, Fall.
    4. Bishnu, Monisankar & Garg, Shresth & Garg, Tishara & Ray, Tridip, 2021. "Optimal intergenerational transfers: Public education and pensions," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    5. Torben M. Andersen & Joydeep Bhattacharya & Qing Liu, 2023. "Can optimal unfunded public pensions co-exist with voluntary private retirement savings?," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 237-251, July.
    6. Gaetano Bloise & Pietro Reichlin, 2023. "Low safe interest rates: A case for dynamic inefficiency?," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 51, pages 633-656, December.
    7. Boysen-Hogrefe, Jens & Fiedler, Salomon & Gern, Klaus-Jürgen & Groll, Dominik & Jannsen, Nils & Kooths, Stefan, 2021. "Vermögenspreise, Zinseffekte und die Robustheit der öffentlichen Finanzen in Deutschland - eine Szenario-Analyse," Kieler Beiträge zur Wirtschaftspolitik 36, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    8. Martin Barbie & Ashok Kaul, 2009. "The Zilcha criteria for dynamic inefficiency reconsidered," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 40(2), pages 339-348, August.
    9. Torben M. Andersen & Joydeep Bhattacharya & Qing Liu, 2021. "Reference‐dependent preferences, time inconsistency, and pay‐as‐you‐go pensions," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(3), pages 1008-1030, July.
    10. Torben M. Andersen & Joydeep Bhattacharya & Qing Liu, 2020. "Reference-Dependent Preferences, Time Inconsistency, and Unfunded Pensions," CESifo Working Paper Series 8260, CESifo.
    11. Bloise, Gaetano & Reichlin, Pietro, 2011. "Asset prices, debt constraints and inefficiency," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 146(4), pages 1520-1546, July.
    12. Sebastian Rausch & Thomas Rutherford, 2010. "Computation of Equilibria in OLG Models with Many Heterogeneous Households," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 36(2), pages 171-189, August.
    13. Andersen, Torben M. & Bhattacharya, Joydeep, 2013. "Unfunded Pensions And Endogenous Labor Supply," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(5), pages 971-997, July.
    14. Steve Ambler & Craig Alexander, 2015. "One Percent? For Real? Insights from Modern Growth Theory about Future Investment Returns," e-briefs 216, C.D. Howe Institute.
    15. Mauri Kotamäki, 2013. "The Pension Scheme Need Not Be Pay-As-You-Go: An Overlapping Generations Approach," Finnish Economic Papers, Finnish Economic Association, vol. 26(2), pages 56-71, Autumn.
    16. Kevin Luo & Tomoko Kinugasa & Kai Kajitani, 2018. "Dynamic efficiency in world economy," Discussion Papers 1801, Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University.
    17. Julia, Knolle, 2014. "An Empirical Comparison of Interest and Growth Rates," MPRA Paper 59520, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Amol Amol & Monisankar Bishnu & Tridip Ray, 2023. "Pension, possible phaseout, and endogenous fertility in general equilibrium," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 25(2), pages 376-406, April.
    19. Kevin Luo & Tomoko Kinugasa & Kai Kajitani, . "Dynamic Efficiency in World Economy," Prague Economic Papers, University of Economics, Prague, vol. 0.

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