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Pareto Improving Price Regulation When the Asset Market Is Incomplete

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  • P. Jean-Jacques Herings

    (Dept. Econometrics & Center, Tilburg Univ.)

  • Heracles M. Polemarchakis

    (CORE, Universite Catholique de Louvain)

Abstract

When the asset market is incomplete, competitive equilibria are constrained suboptimal, which provides a 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 that it operates anonymously on market variables. Fix-price equilibria exist under weak assumptions. Such equilibria permit a competitive analysis of an economy with an incomplete asset market that is out of equilibrium. Arbitrage opportunities may arise: with three or more assets actively traded, an individual may hold an arbitrage portfolio at equilibrium. The local existence of fix-price equilibrium for prices that are almost competitive may fail for robust examples. Under necessary and sufficient conditions for the local existence of fix-price equilibria, Pareto improving price regulation is generically possible.

Suggested Citation

  • P. Jean-Jacques Herings & Heracles M. Polemarchakis, 1999. "Pareto Improving Price Regulation When the Asset Market Is Incomplete," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1210, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:1210
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    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, June.
    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. Bouhtou, M. & van Hoesel, C.P.M. & van der Kraaij, A.F. & Lutton, J.L., 2002. "Linear tarification in multi-commodity telecommunications networks," Research Memorandum 012, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    9. Zoran Popovic & Marko Backovic, 2017. "Sequential Model of Economic System and Constrained Pareto Optimality," Montenegrin Journal of Economics, Economic Laboratory for Transition Research (ELIT), vol. 13(1), pages 141-158.
    10. repec:mje:mjejnl:v:12:y:2017:i:1:p:141-158 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Gaël Giraud, 2004. "Walrasian non-tâtonnement with incomplete and imperfect markets," Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques b04119, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1).
    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. Herings, P. Jean-Jacques, 2018. "Equilibrium and matching under price controls," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 222-244.
    14. Gaël Giraud, 2007. "Walrasian Non-tatonnement with Incomplete and Imperfectly Competitive Markets," Post-Print halshs-00155717, HAL.
    15. 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.
    16. Mendolicchio, C. & Pietra, T., 2016. "Endowment redistribution and Pareto improvements in GEI economies," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 181-190.
    17. Pazdera, Jaroslav & Schumacher, Johannes M. & Werker, Bas J.M., 2017. "The composite iteration algorithm for finding efficient and financially fair risk-sharing rules," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 122-133.
    18. KÜBLER, Felix & POLEMARCHAKIS, Heracles, 1999. "The identification of preferences from the equilibrium prices of commodities and assets," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 1999033, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    19. Habis, H. & Herings, P.J.J., 2009. "Cooperation under incomplete contracting," Research Memorandum 026, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    20. 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.
    21. 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.

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    Keywords

    Incomplete asset market; fix-price equilibria; Pareto improvement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

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

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