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Asset Prices, Debt Constraints and Inefficiency

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  • Gaetano Bloise

    (Department of Economics, University of Rome III)

  • Pietro Reichlin

    (Department of Economics, LUISS ‘Guido Carli’, CEPR and EIEF)

Abstract

In this paper, we consider economies with (possibly endogenous) solvency constraints under uncertainty. Constrained inefficiency corresponds to a feasible redistribution yielding a welfare improvement beginning from every contingency reached by the economy. A sort of Cass Criterion (Cass, 1972) completely characterizes constrained inefficiency. This criterion involves only observable prices and requires low interest rates in the long-run, exactly as in economies with overlapping generations. In addition, when quantitative limits to liabilities arise from participation constraints, a feasible welfare improvement, subject to participation, coincides with the introduced notion of constrained inefficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Gaetano Bloise & Pietro Reichlin, 2008. "Asset Prices, Debt Constraints and Inefficiency," EIEF Working Papers Series 0803, Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF), revised Mar 2008.
    • Handle: RePEc:eie:wpaper:0803
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    Cited by:

    1. Bidian, Florin, 2016. "Robust bubbles with mild penalties for default," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 141-153.
    2. Victor Filipe Martins da Rocha & Yiannis Vailakis, 2015. "Constrained Efficiency Without Commitment," Working Papers hal-01097121, HAL.
    3. Jürgen Eichberger & Klaus Rheinberger & Martin Summer, 2014. "Credit risk in general equilibrium," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 57(2), pages 407-435, October.
    4. Bosi, Stefano & Le Van, Cuong & Pham, Ngoc-Sang, 2017. "Asset bubbles and efficiency in a generalized two-sector model," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 37-48.
    5. Martins-da-Rocha, V. Filipe & Vailakis, Yiannis, 2015. "Constrained efficiency without commitment," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 276-286.
    6. Boucekkine, Raouf & Nishimura, Kazuo & Venditti, Alain, 2015. "Introduction to financial frictions and debt constraints," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 271-275.
    7. M. Peiris & Alexandros Vardoulakis, 2015. "Collateral and the efficiency of monetary policy," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 59(3), pages 579-603, August.
    8. Bloise, G. & Citanna, A., 2019. "Asset shortages, liquidity and speculative bubbles," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 952-990.
    9. Cuong Le Van & Ngoc-Sang Pham, 2016. "Intertemporal equilibrium with financial asset and physical capital," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 62(1), pages 155-199, June.
    10. Pietro Reichlin, 2018. "Money Creation: Tax or Public Liquidity?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(5), pages 1073-1094, August.
    11. Victor Filipe Martins da Rocha & Toan Phan & Yiannis Vailakis, 2019. "Debt Limits and Credit Bubbles in General Equilibrium," Post-Print hal-02429759, HAL.
    12. Stefano Bosi & Cuong Le Van & Ngoc-Sang Pham, 2014. "Intertemporal equilibrium with production: bubbles and efficiency," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 14043, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    13. V. Filipe Martins-Da-Rocha & Toan Phan & Yiannis Vailakis, 2022. "Pecuniary Externalities in Competitive Economies with Limited Pledgeability," Working Papers hal-03909596, HAL.
    14. Gaetano Bloise & Pietro Reichlin & Mario Tirelli, 2009. "Indeterminacy Of Competitive Equilibrium With Risk Of Default," Levine's Working Paper Archive 814577000000000313, David K. Levine.
    15. Florin Bidian & Camelia Bejan, 2015. "Martingale properties of self-enforcing debt," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 60(1), pages 35-57, September.
    16. Becker, Robert A. & Mitra, Tapan, 2012. "Efficient Ramsey Equilibria," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(S1), pages 18-32, April.
    17. Gaetano Bloise & Pietro Reichlin, 2023. "Low safe interest rates: A case for dynamic inefficiency?," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 51, pages 633-656, December.
    18. Alin OPREANA & Simona VINEREAN, 2015. "Analysis of the Economic Research Context after the Outbreak of the Economic Crisis of 2007-2009," Expert Journal of Economics, Sprint Investify, vol. 3(1), pages 77-92.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D50 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - General
    • D52 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Incomplete Markets
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G13 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Contingent Pricing; Futures Pricing

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