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Why Are Concavity Conditions Not Satisfied in the Cost Function? The Case of Japanese Manufacturing Firms during the Bubble Period

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  • Kazuo Ogawa

Abstract

This paper examines empirically some of the reasons why Japanese manufacturing firms frequently fail to satisfy concavity conditions of the cost function. We focus on the "bubble period" in the 1980s when land was in great demand for reasons related to both production and speculation, and land prices soared. By estimating the translog cost function with land as one of production inputs for manufacturing firms, we find that violation of concavity resulted from borrowing constraints and large adjustments of employment. We also demonstrate that elasticities of substitution between land and other inputs and input demand with respect to land rental prices are both estimated with large biases if the firms violating concavity are not excluded from the analysis.

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  • Kazuo Ogawa, 2008. "Why Are Concavity Conditions Not Satisfied in the Cost Function? The Case of Japanese Manufacturing Firms during the Bubble Period," ISER Discussion Paper 0719, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
  • Handle: RePEc:dpr:wpaper:0719
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    4. Shahiduzzaman, M.D. & Alam, Khorshed, 2014. "Interfuel substitution in Australia: a way forward to achieve environmental sustainability," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 58(1), January.
    5. Wan, Junmin, 2024. "Transmission of housing bubbles among industrial sectors," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA), pages 692-701.
    6. Song, Ze & Li, Lianyou & Ma, Chao, 2013. "The EASI Demand System : Evidence from China Household," MPRA Paper 48435, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Yingzhuo Yu & Cesar Escalante & Xiaohui Deng & Jack Houston & Lewell Gunter, 2011. "Analysing scale and scope specialization efficiencies of US agricultural and nonagricultural banks using the Fourier flexible functional form," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(15), pages 1103-1116.
    8. Anupriya, & Graham, Daniel J. & Carbo, Jose M. & Anderson, Richard J. & Bansal, Prateek, 2020. "Understanding the costs of urban rail transport operations," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 292-316.

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