La teoría de juegos en su laberinto

International audienceThis work aims at exposing from a critical and original perspective the theoretical difficulties implied in the use of game theory in economics, so the reason of the problems being discussed today by the academic community regarding this mathematical tool may be understood. We will try to show that game theory is not neutral in at least two ways. After showing this, our purpose will be to unveil the connection it has, when applied to the field of industrial organization, with marginalist value theory. In this way, the limitations of game theory when it comes to understand the phenomenons related to the value will be exposed.El presente trabajo busca exponer desde una perspectiva crítica y original las dificultades teóricas que supone el uso de la teoría de juegos en economía, para así poder entender el porqué de los problemas que se discuten hoy en la academia en torno a esta herramienta matemática. Intentaremos mostrar que la teoría de juegos no es neutral en al menos dos sentidos. Una vez mostrado esto, se buscará develar qué conexión hay entre ésta aplicada al campo de la organización industrial y la teoría del valor marginalista. Se expondrán así los límites de la teoría de juegos para comprender los fenómenos relacionados al valor

Data as a common in the sharing economy: a general policy proposal

It is nowadays a common place to say that the sharing economy is not really about sharing but about making profits and benefiting a few much more than others. A movement that takes the best of the technologies of sharing economy platforms but orients it to benefiting all, platform cooperativism, is on the rise. Nonetheless, it is far from being popular and nothing indicates that it will. This paper investigates the reasons why dominant platforms remain dominant and proposes a policy that aims at curtailing their dominance, fostering platform cooperativism and maximizing the beneficial societal effects that can be derived from exploiting the data generated in platforms. The paper is structured as follows. Section 1 reviews current definitions of the sharing economy, points out their contributions and limitations and offers a novel and more accurate definition. Section 2 briefly introduces platform cooperativism to show why it can be a tool to fix many of the problems of the sharing economy. Section 3 explains and discusses market power mechanisms specific to the sharing economy that help dominant platforms to remain dominant. Some already existing and proposed solutions to counter these market power mechanisms such as reputation passports, a market for personal data and antitrust remedies are evaluated. Section 4 presents a general policy proposal based on making data a common in the sharing economy using reciprocity licenses. Section 5 offers some clarifications regarding the proposal and sketches some of its shortcomings and open questions that arise from it

Uneven development patterns in global value chains: An empirical inquiry based on a conceptualization of GVCs as a specific form of the division of labor

This paper has three interconnected aims: proposing a novel and rigorous definition of a global value chain (GVC) that more easily permits the delineation of its frontiers; creating new indicators of GVC participation and value capture that can overcome the limitations of the existing ones; and offering empirical evidence demonstrating that participation in global value chains is part of an uneven development process that produces a variety of distinct integration patterns that differ with respect to economic and social outcomes.The paper is structured as follows. Section 1 offers a definition of GVCs that conceives the latter as a specific form of the division of labor and therefore facilitates the delineation of the frontiers of a GVC. Building on this definition, Section 2 proposes new indicators to measure GVC participation and value capture. Section 3 provides empirical evidence to argue that, contrary to what mainstream economics and international organizations state, larger participation in GVCs does not necessarily lead to higher levels of value capture. Section 4 offers some theoretical justifications to interpret these findings and adds other measures such as the level of productive investment and dimensions of social outcomes in order to better understand differentiated development patterns in GVCs. Sections 5, 6 and 7 empirically show the heterogeneity of development patterns in GVCs for 51 countries between 1995 and 2008. Using country-level data on GVC participation, value capture, investment rates and social indicators (Gini coefficient, labor’s share of income, median income and employment rate), we perform a principal component analysis and a cluster analysis. We find three distinct development patterns in GVCs: reproduction of the core, immiserizing growth, and a social upgrading mirage. We conclude by underlying the apparent complementarity between these development patterns and by identifying some limitations of the paper that open the way to further research.Cet article a trois objectif interconnectés : proposer une définition originale et rigoureuse d’une chaîne globale de valeur (CGV) qui permette de délimiter ses frontières plus facilement ; créer de nouveaux indicateurs de participation aux CGV et de capture de valeur qui puissent surmonter les limites de ceux qui existent actuellement ; et offrir des preuves empiriques qui montrent que la participation aux chaînes globales de valeur est un processus qui produit une variété de formes d’intégration qui différent en termes de résultats économiques et sociaux.L’article est organisé comme suit. La Section I offre une définition des CGV qui les conçoit comme une forme spécifique de la division du travail et facilite ainsi la démarcation des frontières d’une CGV. En s’appuyant sur cette définition, la Section II propose de nouveaux indicateurs pour mesurer la participation aux CGV et la capture de valeur. La Section 3 apporte des preuves empiriques pour argumenter que, contrairement à ce que l’économie orthodoxe et les organisations internationales soutiennent, une plus grande participation aux CGV ne conduit pas nécessairement à des niveaux de capture de valeur plus élevés. La Section 4 offre quelques justifications théoriques pour interpréter ces résultats et ajoute d’autres mesures telles que le niveau d’investissement productif et des indicateurs sociaux dans l’objectif de mieux comprendre les modèles de développement différentiés dans les CGV. Les Sections 5, 6 et 7 montrent empiriquement l’hétérogénéité des modèles de développement dans les CGV pour 51 pays entre 1995 et 2008. En utilisant des données de niveau national sur la participation aux CGV, la capture de valeur, le taux d’investissement et des indicateurs sociaux (coefficient de Gini, part des salaires dans le revenu, revenu médian et taux d’activité) nous réalisons une analyse en composantes principales et une analyse de cluster. Nous trouvons trois modèles de développement différentiés dans les CGV : reproduction du noyau, croissance appauvrissante et mirage de progrès social. Nous concluons en soulignant l’apparente complémentarité entre ces modèles de développement et en identifiant quelques limites de l’article qui ouvrent la voie à de la recherche future

Teorías de la inflación: el enfoque estructuralista latinoamericano y su revisión crítica desde la epistemología de la economía

Este trabajo es la continuación de Teorías de la inflación: el enfoque estructuralista latinoamericano y su revisión crítica desde la epistemología de la economía (Blampied y Carballa Smichowski, 2011). Allí hemos visto que las diferentes teorías de la inflación del estructuralismo latinoamericano son el resultado de abordar su objeto de estudio -América Latina- desde el concepto de estructura y del empleo de ciertas categorías económicas por parte de sus autores para analizarlo. Respecto a esto último, hemos señalado numerosas limitaciones puntuales que las categorías económicas les imponen a la hora de avanzar en el conocimiento del objeto de estudio del estructuralismo latinoamericano, y, así, en la explicación de la forma particular que adopta el fenómeno de la inflación en Latinoamérica que en las siguientes páginas denominaremos “inflación específicamente (o típicamente) latinoamericana”. No obstante, si bien hemos visto cómo el concepto de estructura influencia las teorías de la inflación del estructuralismo latinoamericano, no hemos hasta ahora explicitado de qué manera el concepto de estructura en sí mismo limitatambién la comprensión de la inflación típicamente latinoamericana. Tampoco hemos mostrado qué relación existe entre estos conceptos económicos y el concepto de estructura en el estructuralismo latinoamericano.En este sentido, nos proponemos en este trabajo mostrar, en primer lugar, cuáles son los conceptos de precio de Sunkel, Olivera y Diamand, para luego encontrar la relación entre esos conceptos y sus conceptos de estructura en el estudio de la forma particular que adopta la inflación en Latinoamérica. En segundo lugar, se revelarán a partir de ahí los límites que el concepto de estructura impone al estudio de esa forma particular y cómo, en consecuencia, el concepto de estructura reclama un concepto superador para dar cuenta de ella, lo que supondrá a su vez superar los conceptos de precio vinculados al concepto de estructura. Finalmente, se argumentará en qué medida el concepto de modo produccióntiene la potencialidad de superar los límites que encontramos en el concepto de estructura, y de esta manera comprender la forma particular que adopta el fenómeno de la inflación en Latinoamérica

UHPLC-(+)APCI-MS/MS determination of oxygenated and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulate matter and tree barks collected in Buenos Aires city

A study was undertaken to evaluate the content of oxygenated and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs and NPAHs) in airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and tree barks. For PM2.5 and PM10 collection different approaches were followed using different type of filters and sample collectors. Samples of PM2.5 were collected on glass fiber filters during one month with a medium volume sampler. For PM10, glass and quartz fiber filters were used and samples were collected simultaneously for one week using a high volume sampler. In addition, bark samples were collected at the same sites. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS) was used for PAHs derivatives quantification. Data acquisition under MS/MS was achieved by applying multiple reaction monitoring to provide a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. Chromatographic separation was performed on a reverse phase rapid resolution column using a gradient mode (total run time: 5.0 min). The study evidenced that in airborne particles matter, four PAHs derivatives were detected at concentrations from 0.01 to 240.62 ng m-3 (or 0.3 µg g-1 to 30 mg g-1). Meanwhile, in tree barks, only OPAHs were detected at concentrations varying from 0.18 to 0.72 µg g-1.Fil: Fujiwara, Fabián Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Guiñez, María Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Cerutti, Estela Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Smichowski, Patricia Nora. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Gerencia Quimica. CAC; Argentin

Aplicación de Google Earth Engine en el análisis preliminar de la severidad de incendios en la Reserva y Parque Nacional, Argentina

Fires are one of the most aggressive and sudden disturbances that can affect ecosystems. During the first months of the year 2022, a series of fires of great magnitude spread in the Iberá streams, which is the largest wetland in Argentina and the second largest in South America after the Pantanal in Brazil, with devastating environmental and social consequences. The aim of this study is to analyze the fires that occurred in the Iberá Reserve and National Park located in the province of Corrientes at the beginning of the year 2022 using remote sensing techniques through the Google Earth Engine processing platform. In this study, the total affected areas were calculated and their severity was analyzed. The results indicate that approximately 20 % of the reserve and close to 50 % of the Iberá National Park have been burned, with a predominance of severity levels ranging from moderate high to high. Remote sensing techniques are a significant resource in fire monitoring, making it a powerful tool in planning regulations or measures aimed at contributing to the mitigation, management, and early warning of fires.Los incendios son una de las perturbaciones o disturbios más agresivos y repentinos que pueden afectar a los ecosistemas. Durante los primeros meses del año 2022 se propagaron una serie de incendios de gran magnitud en los esteros del Iberá, el cual es el mayor humedal de Argentina y el segundo de Sudamérica luego del Pantanal en Brasil, con consecuencias ambientales y sociales devastadoras. El objetivo del trabajo consiste en analizar los incendios ocurridos en la reserva y el Parque Nacional Iberá ubicada en la provincia de Corrientes a principios del año 2022 aplicando técnicas de teledetección a través de la plataforma de procesamientos de Google Earth Engine. En este trabajo se calculó las áreas totales afectadas analizándose la severidad de estas. Los resultados muestran que se ha quemado alrededor del 20 % de la reserva y cerca del 50 % del Parque Nacional Iberá con predominio de niveles de severidad entre moderada alta y alta. Las técnicas de teledetección son un insumo significativo en el monitoreo de incendios, lo que la vuelve una herramienta potente en la planificación de normativas o medidas que contribuyan con la mitigación, gestión y alerta temprana de incendios.; sequías; SIG; riesgo ambiental; Corriente

A Coat of Many Colours - New Concepts and Metrics of Economic Power in Competition Law and Economics

The digital economy has brought new business models that rely on zero-price markets and multi-sided platforms nested in business ecosystems. The traditional concept of market power used by competition authorities cannot engage with this new reality in which (economic) power manifests beyond price and output within a relevant market. These developments have culminated in multiple recent calls for a more multidimensional concept of power. Consequently, suggestions over new concepts of power triggering antitrust/regulatory intervention, such as ‘strategic market status’, ‘conglomerate market power’, ‘intermediation power’, ‘structuring digital platforms’, or ‘gatekeepers’ have proliferated to complete, or even substitute, the archetypical concept of market or monopoly power in competition law. However, a theoretical framework for this multidimensional concept of power that can set the basis for new metrics is missing. This article makes three contributions in that direction. First, we conceptualize different forms of (economic) power that go beyond competition within a single relevant market in terms of competition law and economics. Second, we propose new metrics to measure two forms of power: panopticon power and power based on differential dependency between value co-creators. Third, we test the latter and show how they could reduce false positives and false negatives when assessing dominance

Structural signatures of water-soluble organic aerosols in contrasting environments in South America and Western Europe

This study describes and compares the key structural units present in water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) fraction of atmospheric aerosols collected in different South American (Colombia – Medellín and Bogotá, Peru – Lima, Argentina – Buenos Aires, and Brazil – Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Velho, during moderate (MBB) and intense (IBB) biomass burning) and Western European (Portugal – Aveiro and Lisbon) locations. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy was employed to assess the relative distribution of non-exchangeable proton functional groups in aerosol WSOC of diverse origin, for the first time to the authors’ knowledge in South America. The relative contribution of the proton functional groups was in the order H-C > H–C–C= > H-C-O > Ar-H, except in Porto Velho during MBB, Medellín, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires, for which the relative contribution of H-C-O was higher than that of H-C-C=. The 1H NMR source attribution confirmed differences in aging processes or regional sources between the two geographic regions, allowing the differentiation between urban combustion-related aerosol and biological particles. The aerosol WSOC in Aveiro, Lisbon, and Rio de Janeiro during summer are more oxidized than those from the remaining locations, indicating the predominance of secondary organic aerosols. Fresh emissions, namely of smoke particles, becomes important during winter in Aveiro and São Paulo, and in Porto Velho during IBB. The biosphere is an important source altering the chemical composition of aerosol WSOC in South America locations. The source attribution in Medellín, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, and Lima confirmed the mixed contributions of biological material, secondary formation, as well as urban and biomass burning emissions. Overall, the information and knowledge acquired in this study provide important diagnostic tools for future studies aiming at understanding the water-soluble organic aerosol problem, their sources and impact at a wider geographic scale.Fil: Duarte, Regina M.B.O.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Matos, João T.V.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Paula, Andreia S.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Lopes, Sónia P.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Pereira, Guilherme. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Vasconcellos, Pérola. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Gioda, Adriana. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Carreira, Renato. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Silva, Artur M.S.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Duarte, Armando C.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Smichowski, Patricia Nora. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, Nestor. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Sanchez Ccoyllo, Odon. No especifíca

To pool or to pull back? An economic analysis of health data pooling

We present a novel generic theoretical framework to analyze the incentives agents have to engage in n-way data sharing or ‘data pooling’ and the factors affecting those incentives. Based on the results obtained, we provide policy recommendations aimed at fostering health data pooling. Section 1 develops a baseline framework and multiple variations including zero-sum data pooling games, competing pools and intra-pool negative externalities. The section offers analytical solutions and examples to show under which conditions agents decide to pool data. Section 2 illustrates how different factors can lead to sub-optimal data pooling. Section 3 provides policy recommendations to foster data pooling in the health sector and discusses the conditions under which they can be effective.JRC.T.1 - Digital Econom

Is ride-hailing doomed to monopoly? Theory and evidence from the main U.S. markets

Cet article montre que l’irruption des plateformes numériques est en train de créer une dynamique winner-takes-all dans les marchés des VTC. On soutient que les marchés des VTC sont en train de devenir des marchés winner-takes-all pour deux raisons : la différenciation de produit n’est pas très pertinente pour créer des niches de marché et les effets de réseau indirects sont particulièrement forts dans les applis de VTC, spécialement car elles sont renforcées par l’effet « boule de neige de data » des usagers dans une plus grande mesure que dans d’autres plateformes numériques. On corrobore ce résultat en s’appuyant sur les données existantes des principales villes des États-Unis. Après avoir défini le marché pertinent des plateformes VTC, on compare les données existantes pour montrer que, comme attendu dans des marchés winner-takes-all, les parts de marché d’une seule firme (Uber) sont en train d’augment au détriment de celles de ses concurrents. Finalement, on montre que la stratégie d’Uber pour conquérir ces marchés semble être basée sur la prédation par les prix et on suggère trois manières à travers lesquelles Uber peut récupérer les pertes liées à la prédation de prix.This paper shows that the irruption of digital platforms is creating winner-takes-all dynamics in ride-hailing markets. We argue that ride-hailing markets are becoming winner-takes-all for two reasons: product differentiation is not very relevant to carve out market niches and indirect network effects are particularly strong in ride-hailing apps, especially because they are enhanced by the user “data snowball effect” to a larger extent than in other digital platforms. We provide an empirical corroboration of these findings that builds on available data from the main cities of the United States. After defining the relevant market of ride-hailing platforms, we compare the existent data to show that, as expected in winner-takes-all markets, the market shares of a single firm (Uber) have been increasing to the detriment of its competitors’. Finally, we show that Uber’s strategy to conquer these markets seems to be based on predatory pricing and we suggest three ways in which Uber might recoup its losses from predation