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Risk aversion and asymmetry in procurement auctions: Identification, estimation and application to construction procurements

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  • Campo, Sandra

Abstract

This article studies a model of asymmetric risk averse bidding within the independent private value paradigm. The inherent asymmetry in cost and risk aversion imposes an original restriction on the observed bid data, an exact equality which leads to the model semiparametric identification and estimation. The unobserved arguments of this equality need to be simulated in order to estimate the bidders’ Constant Relative Risk Aversion or Constant Absolute Risk Aversion parameters and their heterogeneous cost distributions. In the Los Angeles City Hall construction contracts offered between 1994 and 2003, the model and methodology help reveal that financial asymmetries affect the firms’ cost distribution, while experience influences their degree of risk aversion.

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  • Campo, Sandra, 2012. "Risk aversion and asymmetry in procurement auctions: Identification, estimation and application to construction procurements," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 168(1), pages 96-107.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:econom:v:168:y:2012:i:1:p:96-107
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconom.2011.09.011
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    Cited by:

    1. Yizhaq Minchuk & Shlomo Mizrahi, 2017. "The (in) effectiveness of procurement auctions in the public sector," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 247-249, February.
    2. Jean-Charles Fiolet & Carl Haas & Keith Hipel, 2016. "Risk-chasing behaviour in on-site construction decisions," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(12), pages 845-858, December.
    3. Nianqing Liu & Yao Luo, 2017. "A Nonparametric Test For Comparing Valuation Distributions In First‐Price Auctions," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 58(3), pages 857-888, August.
    4. Butler, Jeffrey V. & Carbone, Enrica & Conzo, Pierluigi & Spagnolo, Giancarlo, 2020. "Past performance and entry in procurement: An experimental investigation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 179-195.
    5. Gentry, Matthew & Li, Tong & Lu, Jingfeng, 2015. "Existence of monotone equilibrium in first price auctions with private risk aversion and private initial wealth," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 214-221.
    6. Helland, Leif & Iachan, Felipe S. & Juelsrud, Ragnar E. & Nenov, Plamen T., 2021. "Information quality and regime change: Evidence from the lab," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 538-554.
    7. Fan Wu & Yi Xin, 2024. "Estimating Nonseparable Selection Models: A Functional Contraction Approach," Papers 2411.01799, arXiv.org.
    8. Valentin Bolotnyy & Shoshana Vasserman, 2023. "Scaling Auctions as Insurance: A Case Study in Infrastructure Procurement," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 91(4), pages 1205-1259, July.
    9. Serafin J. Grundl & Yu Zhu, 2019. "Robust Inference in First-Price Auctions : Experimental Findings as Identifying Restrictions," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2019-006, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    10. Lorentziadis, Panos L., 2016. "Optimal bidding in auctions from a game theory perspective," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 248(2), pages 347-371.
    11. Gregory E. Kersten, 2014. "Multiattribute Procurement Auctions: Efficiency and Social Welfare in Theory and Practice," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 11(4), pages 215-232, December.
    12. Enache, Andreea & Florens, Jean-Pierre & Sbai, Erwann, 2023. "A functional estimation approach to the first-price auction models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 235(2), pages 1564-1588.
    13. Jihui Chen & Maochao Xu, 2015. "Asymmetry and revenue in second-price auctions: a majorization approach," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 39(3), pages 625-640, July.
    14. Kim, Dong-Hyuk & Ratan, Anmol, 2022. "Disentangling risk aversion and loss aversion in first-price auctions: An empirical approach," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    15. Chernomaz Kirill & Yoshimoto Hisayuki, 2020. "How Accurately Do Structural Asymmetric First-Price Auction Estimates Represent True Valuations?," Journal of Econometric Methods, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-19, January.
    16. Brisset, Karine & Cochard, François & Le Gallo, Julie, 2015. "Secret versus public reserve price in an “outcry” English procurement auction: Experimental results," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 285-298.
    17. Grundl, Serafin & Zhu, Yu, 2023. "Robust inference in first-price auctions: Overbidding as an identifying restriction," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 235(2), pages 484-506.
    18. Paul Pezanis-Christou & Andres Romeu, 2016. "Structural Analysis of First-Price Auction Data: Insights from the Laboratory," School of Economics and Public Policy Working Papers 2016-17, University of Adelaide, School of Economics and Public Policy.
    19. Vasserman, Shoshana & Watt, Mitchell, 2021. "Risk aversion and auction design: Theoretical and empirical evidence," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    20. NAKABAYASHI Jun & HIROSE Yohsuke, 2016. "Structural Estimation of the Scoring Auction Model," Discussion papers 16008, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    21. Tong Li & Jingfeng Lu & Li Zhao, 2015. "Auctions with selective entry and risk averse bidders: theory and evidence," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 46(3), pages 524-545, September.
    22. Gaurab Aryal & Hanna Charankevich & Seungwon Jeong & Dong-Hyuk Kim, 2021. "Procurements with Bidder Asymmetry in Cost and Risk-Aversion," Papers 2111.04626, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2022.
    23. Grundl, Serafin & Zhu, Yu, 2019. "Identification and estimation of risk aversion in first-price auctions with unobserved auction heterogeneity," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 210(2), pages 363-378.
    24. Lorentziadis, Panos L., 2014. "Bidding under auctioneer default risk," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 123-133.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    First-price auctions; Independent private values; Asymmetric risk aversion; Semiparametric identification and estimation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • C15 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Statistical Simulation Methods: General
    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
    • L50 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - General
    • L74 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Primary Products and Construction - - - Construction

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