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Does the market self-correct? Asymmetrical adjustment and the structure of economic error

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  • Peter Leeson
  • Christopher Coyne
  • Peter Boettke

Abstract

While both errors of overoptimism and errors of overpessimism are possible in the face of imperfect information, the presence of option value from deferring a decision to exchange causes trader errors to be overpessimistically biased. This is problematic because, unlike errors of overoptimism, errors of overpessimism are not 'automatically' revealed to the agents who make them. Furthermore, owing to the 'bad news principle of irreversible investment,' these errors are likely to persist. We show how entrepreneurial activity corrects such errors and prevents their persistence, creating a tendency towards market efficiency despite the presence of imperfect information.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Leeson & Christopher Coyne & Peter Boettke, 2006. "Does the market self-correct? Asymmetrical adjustment and the structure of economic error," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 79-90.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:revpoe:v:18:y:2006:i:1:p:79-90
    DOI: 10.1080/09538250500354181
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    1. Kenneth J. Arrow & Anthony C. Fisher, 1974. "Environmental Preservation, Uncertainty, and Irreversibility," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Chennat Gopalakrishnan (ed.), Classic Papers in Natural Resource Economics, chapter 4, pages 76-84, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Ben S. Bernanke, 1983. "Irreversibility, Uncertainty, and Cyclical Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 98(1), pages 85-106.
    3. Burton A. Weisbrod, 1964. "Collective-Consumption Services of Individual-Consumption Goods," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 78(3), pages 471-477.
    4. Claude Henry, 1974. "Option Values in the Economics of Irreplaceable Assets," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 41(5), pages 89-104.
    5. Avinash Dixit, 1992. "Investment and Hysteresis," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 6(1), pages 107-132, Winter.
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Boettke & Christopher Coyne & Peter Leeson, 2007. "Saving government failure theory from itself: recasting political economy from an Austrian perspective," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 127-143, June.
    2. Peter J. Boettke & Christopher J. Coyne, 2008. "The Political Economy of the Philanthropic Enterprise," Chapters, in: Gordon E. Shockley & Peter M. Frank & Roger R. Stough (ed.), Non-market Entrepreneurship, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Christopher Coyne & Justin Isaacs & Jeremy Schwartz, 2010. "Entrepreneurship and the taste for discrimination," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 609-627, August.
    4. Peter J. Boettke & Christopher J. Coyne & Peter T. Leeson, 2014. "Earw(h)ig: I can’t hear you because your ideas are old," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 38(3), pages 531-544.
    5. Hausch, Donald B. & Ziemba, W.T. (ed.), 2008. "Handbook of Sports and Lottery Markets," Elsevier Monographs, Elsevier, edition 1, number 9780444507440.
    6. David Skarbek, 2009. "Alertness, local knowledge, and Johnny Appleseed," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 22(4), pages 415-424, December.
    7. Christopher Coyne & Justin Isaacs & Jeremy Schwartz & Anthony Carilli, 2007. "Put me in, Coach, I’m ready to play," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 20(4), pages 237-246, December.

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