A Model of the Origins of Basic Property Rights

This paper studies the origins of one of the most basic of property rights, namely, the right of an individual or an organization to the fruits of its labour. My objective is to address the questions of why, when and how this property right can emerge and be made secure. I develop a model of the strategic interaction between two players in the state-of-nature, which is an environment characterized by the absence of any laws and institutions (including property rights and the state). My analyses explores, in particular, the roles of the players� fighting and productive skills on the emergence and security (or otherwise) of this property right.

Competition and Efficiency in Markets with Quality Uncertainty

This paper addresses the following question: Does competition enhance efficiency in markets with quality uncertainty? Using the mechanism design methodology, we characterize the maximal achievable level of efficiency in such markets, and then use this characterization to analyze how maximal efficiency varies with the degree of market competition. We show that the relationship between them is in general a non-trivial function of the main market parameters. In particular we show: (i) for some set of parameter values maximal efficiency is strictly increasing in the degree of market competition (although it never attains the first-best), but only until competition is sufficiently intense; thereafter, maximal efficiency is strictly decreasing in the degree of competition; (ii) for some set of parameter values maximal efficiency is strictly decreasing in the degree of market competition, attaining the first-best when there is no competition; and (iii) for some set of parameter values maximal efficiency is strictly increasing in the degree of market competition, attains the first-best once competition is sufficiently intense, and then remains at the first-best thereafter.

Control Rights in Public-Private Partnership

This paper develops a theory of the allocation of authority between two parties that produce impure public goods. We show that the optimal allocation depends on technological factors, the parties' valuations of the goods produced, and the degree of impurity of these goods. When the degree of impurity is large, control rights should be given to the main investor, irrespective of preference considerations. There are some situations in which this allocation is optimal even if the degree of impurity is very low as long as one party's investment is more important than the other party's. If the parties' investments are of similar importance and the degree of impurity is large, shared authority is optimal with a greater share going to the low-valuation party. If the importance of the parties' investments is similar but the degree of impurity is neither large nor small, the low-valuation party should receive sole authority. We apply our results to a number of situations, including schools and child custody.

Control Rights in Complex Partnerships

This paper develops a theory of the allocation of authority between two players who are in a “complex” partnership, that is, a partnership which produces impure public goods. We show that the optimal allocation depends on technological factors, the parties’ valuations of the goods produced, and the degree of impurity of these goods. When the degree of impurity is large, control rights should be given to the main investor, irrespective of preference considerations. There are some situations in which this allocation is optimal even if the degree of impurity is very low as long as one party’s investment is more important than the other party’s. If the parties’ investments are of similar importance and the degree of impurity is large, shared authority is optimal with a greater share going to the low-valuation party. If the importance of the parties’ investments is similar but the degree of impurity is neither large nor small, the low-valuation party should receive sole authority. We analyze an extension in which side payments are infeasible. We check for robustness of our results in several dimensions, such as allowing for multiple parties or for joint authority, apply our results to interpret a number of complex partnerships, including those involving schools and child custody. JEL Codes: D02 ; D23 ; H41 ; L31Impure Public Goods ; Contractual Incompleteness ; Allocation of Authority ; Investment Incentives

Ex Ante Price Commitment with Renegotiation in a Dynamic Market

This paper studies the endogenous determination of the price formation procedure in markets characterized by match-specific heterogeneity; such heterogeneity captures, for example, markets in which sellers own differentiated commodities and buyers have heterogeneous preferences. Specifically, we study a dynamic, stochastic model of a market in which, in each time period, agents on one side (e.g., sellers) strategically choose whether or not to "post", or commit themselves to, incomplete price contracts before they encounter agents of the opposite type. After a pair of agents of the opposite types have encountered each other, their match-specific values from trading with each other are realised. If no price contract was posted, then the terms of trade (and whether or not it occurs) are determined by bilateral negotiations. Otherwise, depending upon the agents� match-specific trading values and equilibrium continuation payoffs, trade occurs (if it does) either on the terms specified in the posted contract or at a renegotiated price (when renegotiation of the posted, incomplete price contract is mutually beneficial). We study the Markov subgame perfect equilibria of this market game, and address a variety of issues such as the impact of market frictions on the equilibrium proportion of trades that occur at a price specified in the ex-ante posted contract rather than at a price determined by ex-post bargaining.

Bargaining Equilibrium in a Non-Stationary Environment

No abstract.

On the Foundations of Basic Property Rights, Part I: A Model of the State-of-Nature with Two Players

No abstract.

Power and Inefficient Institutions

This paper is concerned with the persistence of inefficient institutions. Why are they not replaced by more effcient ones? What and/or who prevents such change? We provide an answer to these questions based on two key ideas. The principal idea is that institutional change on an issue may adversely affect the bargaining power of some agents on different issues. The second is that certain kinds of frictions (or transaction costs) are present, which do not allow for this deteriorating bargaining power to be compensated for. A key insight obtained from our analysis is that, the greater is the degree of inequality in the players� bargaining powers the more likely it is that ineffcient institutions will persist.

Agenda Setting Power in Organizations With Overlapping Generations of Players

This paper presents an analysis of the allocation of agenda-setting (or bargaining) power in organizations with overlapping generations of players. Such powers are typically institutionalized within an organization�s structure, and, given the focus of this paper, we identify the former with the latter. Our analysis concerns organizations (such as the US Senate) in which the number of periods each player participates is endogenously determined by his or her past performance. We derive several results and insights concerning (i) optimal organizational structure and (ii) conditions under which the unique, dynamically optimal outcome can be sustained (in equilibrium) in organizations with suboptimal structures. For example, we show that under a broad set of conditions, the optimal organizational structure should involve a seniority system, in which most of the agenda-setting power is allocated to the oldest generation of players.

A Model of the Origins of Basic Property Rights

This paper studies the origins of one of the most basic of property rights, namely, the right of an individual or an organization to the fruits of its labour. My objective is to address the questions of why, when and how this property right can emerge and be made secure. I develop a model of the strategic interaction between two players in the state-of-nature, which is an environment characterized by the absence of any laws and institutions (including property rights and the state). My analyses explores, in particular, the roles of the players’ fighting and productive skills on the emergence and security (or otherwise) of this property righ