Auctions as Coordination Devices

This paper develops an economic argument relating auctions to high market prices. At the core of the argument is the claim that market competition and bidding in an auction should be analyzed as part of one game, where the pricing strategies in the market subgame depend on the bidding strategies during the auction. I show that when there are two licenses for sale the only equilibrium in the overall game that is consistent with the logic of forward induction is the one where firms bid an amount (almost) equal to the profits of the cooperative market outcome and follow a cooperative pricing strategy in the market game resulting in high prices. With three or more licenses the auction format determines whether the forward induction argument works.Auctions, Market prices, Coordination

Consumer Search Markets with Costly Second Visits

This is the first paper on consumer search where the cost of going back to stores already searched is explicitly taken into account. We show that the optimal sequential search rule under costly second visits is very different from the traditional reservation price rule in that it is nonstationary and not independent of previously sampled prices. We explore the implications of costly second visits on market equilibrium in two celebrated search models. In the Wolinsky model some consumers search beyond the first firm and in this class of models costly second visits do make a substantive difference: equilibrium prices under costly second visits can both be higher and lower than their perfect recall analogues. In the oligopoly search model of Stahl where consumers do not search beyond the first firm, there remains a unique symmetric equilibrium that has firms use pricing strategies that are identical to the perfect recall case.

Selection Effects in Regulated Markets

This paper analyzes dynamic selection effects that arise in a regulated market where price structures are determined by a regulator or central management. Consumers come in different types where each type requires a different service or treatment. We show that for a large class of price structures some group of customers is refused the service. Equilibria with selection are welfare inferior to equilibria without selection. We also characterize the class of price structures for which selection does not arise. As the number of customers increases or agents become more patient the class of selection-free price structures shrinks and in the limit it is unique. Moreover, all other price structures induce selection. The general model can be applied to a variety of markets, including health care and taxi markets.

The Alleged Necessity of Microfoundations

It is often said that models in the microfoundations literature derive macroeconomic results from the theory of individual behavior only. This paper examines two of the assumptions that are usually made in these models: market clearing and rational expectations. In the context of simple models it is shown that only in some special cases these assumptions can be derived from the fundamental notion that individuals behave rationally. Thus, the usual rationale for the microfoundations literature is challenged. The paper concludes with a more modest rationale for the “necessity” of microfoundations

Multi-store Competition: Market Segmentation or Interlacing

This paper develops a model for multi-store competition between firms. Using the fact that different firms have different outlets and produce horizontally differentiated goods, we obtain a pure strategy equilibrium where firms choose a different location for each outlet and firms' locations are interlaced. The location decisions of multi-store firms are completely independent of each other. Firms choose locations that minimize transportation costs of consumers. Moreover, generically, the subgame perfect equilibrium is unique and when the firms have an equal number of outlets, prices are independent of the number of outlets

Focal Points

This paper gives an overview of the literature on focal points. It starts with reviewing Schelling’s seminalbook The Strategy of Conflict.I then discuss the problems that have to be faced when incorporating thenotion of focal points in theory of games. Two recent approaches are discussed that deal with focalpoints. The eductive approach is static and concentrates on how players can use aymmetries in thedescriptions of strategies. The evolutive approach is dynamic and focuses in the adaptive behaviour ofplayers.

Microfoundations

This paper gives an overview and evaluates the literature on Microfoundations.Representative Agents; New Keynesian Economics; and New Classical Economics

The alleged necessity of microfoundations

It is often said that models in the microfoundations literature derive macroeconomic results from the theory of individual behavior only. This paper examines two of the assumptions that are usually made in these models: market clearing and rational expectations. In the context of simple models it is shown that only in some special cases these assumptions can be derived from the fundamental notion that individuals behave rationally. Thus, the usual rationale for the microfoundations literature is challenged. The paper concludes with a more modest rationale for the "necessity" of microfoundations.