IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolet/v211y2022ics0165176521004821.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Transfer paradox in a general equilibrium economy: An experimental investigation

Author

Listed:
  • Kamei, Kenju

Abstract

The transfer paradox, whereby a transfer of resources that influences the equilibrium price benefits the donor while harming the recipient, is a classic paradox in general equilibrium theory. This paper pursues an experimental investigation of the transfer paradox using a three-agent pure exchange economy that is predicted to have such a paradox. The results indicate that an endowment adjustment among agents influences the market price, and consequently the donors benefit from the transfer, consistent with the competitive equilibrium theory. When given an option to make a transfer, half of donor agents voluntarily decide to adjust the endowment distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Kamei, Kenju, 2022. "Transfer paradox in a general equilibrium economy: An experimental investigation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:211:y:2022:i:c:s0165176521004821
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2021.110253
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176521004821
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econlet.2021.110253?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    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. Gale, David, 1974. "Exchange equilibrium and coalitions : An example," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 63-66, March.
    2. Polemarchakis, H M, 1983. "On the Transer Paradox," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 24(3), pages 749-760, October.
    3. Chichilnisky, Graciela, 1980. "Basic goods, the effects of commodity transfers and the international economic order," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(4), pages 505-519, December.
    4. Aumann, R. J. & Peleg, B., 1974. "A note on Gale's example," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 209-211, August.
    5. Kang, Minwook & Ye, Lei Sandy, 2016. "Advantageous redistribution with three smooth CES utility functions," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 171-180.
    6. Kang, Minwook & Ye, Lei Sandy, 2014. "Coalition-enhancing fiscal policies in an open economy: A CES framework of Gale’s transfer paradox," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 141-147.
    7. Ram Sewak Dubey & Minwook Kang, 2019. "Transfer paradox in a stable equilibrium," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 7(2), pages 259-269, December.
    8. Yano, Makoto, 1983. "Welfare aspects of the transfer problem," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3-4), pages 277-289, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Ram Sewak Dubey & Minwook Kang, 2019. "Transfer paradox in a stable equilibrium," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 7(2), pages 259-269, December.
    2. Sergio Turner, 2006. "How much trade does the transfer paradox require? The threshold computed," Working Papers 2006-02, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    3. Jagdish Bhagwati & Richard Brecher & Tatsuo Hatta, 1984. "The paradoxes of immiserizing growth and donor-enriching “recipient-immiserizing” transfers: A tale of two literatures," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 120(2), pages 228-243, June.
    4. Kang, Minwook & Ye, Lei Sandy, 2016. "Advantageous redistribution with three smooth CES utility functions," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 171-180.
    5. Kenju Kamei, 2020. "Transfer Paradox in a General Equilibrium Economy: a First Experimental Investigation," Department of Economics Working Papers 2020_03, Durham University, Department of Economics.
    6. Demuynck, Thomas & Rock, Bram De & Ginsburgh, Victor, 2016. "The transfer paradox in welfare space," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1-4.
    7. Emily T. Cremers & Partha Sen, 2009. "Transfers, the terms of trade, and capital accumulation," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(4), pages 1599-1616, November.
    8. Hamid Beladi, 1990. "Unemployment and immiserizing transfer," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 253-265, October.
    9. Kang, Minwook & Ye, Lei Sandy, 2014. "Coalition-enhancing fiscal policies in an open economy: A CES framework of Gale’s transfer paradox," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 141-147.
    10. Steven Brakman & Charles Van Marrewijk, 2007. "Transfers, Nontraded Goods, and Unemployment: An Analysis of the Keynes-Ohlin Debate," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 39(1), pages 121-143, Spring.
    11. Geanakoplos, John & Heal, Geoffrey, 1983. "A geometric explanation of the transfer paradox in a stable economy," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1-2), pages 223-236.
    12. William Thomson, 2014. "New variable-population paradoxes for resource allocation," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 42(2), pages 255-277, February.
    13. Jeffrey B. Nugent & Makoto Yano, 1999. "Aid, Nontraded Goods, and the Transfer Paradox in Small Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(3), pages 431-449, June.
    14. Lynn Mainwaring, 1998. "Transfers in a North‐South Growth Model," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 45(5), pages 592-603, November.
    15. Somdeb Lahiri, 2005. "Manipulation via Endowments in a Market with Profit Maximizing Agents," Game Theory and Information 0511008, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. S. Flåm & L. Koutsougeras, 2010. "Private information, transferable utility, and the core," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 42(3), pages 591-609, March.
    17. Mantel, Rolf R., 1984. "Substitutability and the welfare effects of endowment increases," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(3-4), pages 325-334, November.
    18. William Thomson, 2009. "Borrowing-proofness," RCER Working Papers 545, University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER).
    19. Brakman, Steven & van Marrewijk, Charles, 1995. "Transfers, returns to scale, tied aid and monopolistic competition," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 333-354, August.
    20. Majumdar, Mukul, 2009. "Equilibrium and optimality: Some imprints of David Gale," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 607-626, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Experiments; Transfer paradox; General equilibrium; Equilibrium effects;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D51 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Exchange and Production Economies

    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:ecolet:v:211:y:2022:i:c:s0165176521004821. 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/ecolet .

    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.