Economic Theory Commons^™

Fairness Doesn't Have To Be Egalitarian: Evidence From Bargaining Games, Kevin Wong

Theses and Dissertations

I develop a theoretical model and provide experimental evidence that social norms of fairness play a critical role in determining equilibrium outcomes in bargaining games.

Natural Selection Of Immune And Metabolic Genes Associated With Health In Two Lowland Bolivian Populations, Amanda J. Lea, Angela Garcia, Jesusa Arevalo, Julien F. Ayroles, Kenneth Buetow, Steve W. Cole, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Maguin Gutierrez, Heather M. Highland, Paul L. Hooper, Anne Justice, Thomas Kraft, Kari E. North, Jonathan Stieglitz, Hillard Kaplan, Benjamin C. Trumble, Michael Gurven

ESI Publications

A growing body of work has addressed human adaptations to diverse environments using genomic data, but few studies have connected putatively selected alleles to phenotypes, much less among underrepresented populations such as Amerindians. Studies of natural selection and genotype–phenotype relationships in underrepresented populations hold potential to uncover previously undescribed loci underlying evolutionarily and biomedically relevant traits. Here, we worked with the Tsimane and the Moseten, two Amerindian populations inhabiting the Bolivian lowlands. We focused most intensively on the Tsimane, because long-term anthropological work with this group has shown that they have a high burden of both macro and microparasites, as …

A Classical Model Of Speculative Asset Price Dynamics, Sabiou M. Inoua, Vernon L. Smith

ESI Working Papers

In retrospect, the experimental findings on competitive market behavior called for a revival of the old, classical, view of competition as a collective higgling and bargaining process (as opposed to price-taking behaviors) founded on reservation prices (in place of the utility function). In this paper, we specialize the classical methodology to deal with speculation, an important impediment to price stability. The model involves typical features of a field or lab asset market setup and lends itself to an experimental test of its specific predictions; here we use the model to explain three general stylized facts, well established both empirically and …

Unwilling Gamblers And Loaded Dice: Considering Recession And Crisis As A Natural Effect Of Financial Capitalism, Darlene N. Moorman

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

Under financial capitalism, ordinary people are increasingly becoming 'unwilling gamblers' of a risky and unstable system. This paper explores the social and institutional change behind the neoliberal movement and considers how the politics and policies of neoliberalism have contributed to a certain environment of financial instability. Looking at the changing nature of the economy, the rapid expansion of the financial sector, and the persisting issue of moral hazard underlying risky and speculative behaviors among other items, reveals a financial system in which recessions and crises can be considered a natural, although not inevitable, effect.

Working Paper No. 63, On Karl Polanyi And His Conception Of Fascism, Serene Mistkawi

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that the writings of author Karl Polanyi offered insights into key variables and historical conditions that gave rise to the system we know of as “fascism.” Integral to his insights, Polanyi describes economic conditions attendant for fascism to emerge, with one condition noted as widespread and persistent unemployment. Polanyi stresses that fascism needs to be understood as reactionary, a responding to features integral to classical liberalism. Considering a broad historical context Polanyi teaches us of the political conditions necessary for fascism to emerge and take form as political movements wielding power. He considers conflicts in …

Working Paper No. 73, “Placing-Out”: Dealing With Vagrant Children In 19th Century America, Josephine Cannistra

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to convince the reader that motivations of 19th century aid societies were not necessarily rooted in the welfare of vagrant children, but rather in the goals of bolstering American agriculture and creating a new generation of farmers out of children that likely would have otherwise proved a direct social and economic burden. While apprenticeships have a long history in the United States, the joining of apprenticeships and indentured labor formed a 19th century system of placing children out into rural homes as contracted workers. This system, as social movement from above, offered economic benefits to farmers and …

Working Paper No. 67, Insights Into Project Cybersyn, Leah Herrera

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that back in the 1970s Chile’s “Project Cybersyn” offered novel approaches and specific technologies that appeared to have benefitted capitalism as a system. The Spanish name, SYNCO served as an acronym for Sistema de Información y Control. President Salvador Allende expected that the attributes associated with Project Cybersyn could assist his efforts in implementing his variant of socialism. Cybersyn consisted of a network (Cybernet), software (Cyberstride), computers, a economic simulator known as CHECO, and a control room (Opsroom.) Cybersyn reached an advanced prototype stage; however, its fate was also tied to the interests of the …

Working Paper No. 69, Towards An Evolutionary History Of Gleaning, Stella Burlingame

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that the act of gleaning can be understood through an evolutionary approach. Because gleaning has been practiced in some form in almost every agricultural system, this inquiry shall consider several different regions and time periods, taking into account the distinct economic and social structures. The segments of history to be explored here range from antiquity, as documented in Scripture, through early modernity, and into the post-modern era.

Working Paper No. 70, Industrialization, Retail Activities, And The Rise Of American Consumerism, Joseph French

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that the department store can be viewed as a novel institution that emerged to facilitate an economic relationship between a burgeoning American industrial sector and a new generation of working-class consumers with rising incomes and changing needs. The development of retail in America lagged behind Europe for many decades, until the rapid pace of American industrialization acted as a catalyst for retail to evolve into a modern institution. Alongside the creation of the department store, American cities were taking to the skies, and those who inhabited them would establish a new socio-economic class that was …

Working Paper No. 71, Max Weber: On Religion And Economic Outcomes, Celeste Aiu Taber

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that early sociologist Max Weber advances a view that religious faith could indeed affect economic outcomes. In his analysis of Reformed faiths, Weber determines that “the calling” inspired by Martin Luther transformed the work ethic of believers, instilling in them a spirit suitable for the advancement of modern capitalism. The Reformed work ethic observed by Weber served as a basis for individual Protestants to accumulate wealth. Weber also considers the developments of religious asceticism among the faiths of Calvinism, Pietism, Methodism, and the Baptist movements. The ascetic character of these religious communities assisted in generating …

Working Paper No. 72, The 1849 Gold Rush And The Roots Of California’S Economic Development, Matthew Phan

Working Papers in Economics

The Californian Gold Rush, commonly referred to as the “1849 Gold Rush” proved to be a major event which brought significant change to California. This inquiry seeks to establish that this 1849 Gold Rush provided a foundation for a broadly shared prosperity through contributing to the advancement of California’s industry. The first part in this inquiry goes into some detail regarding how the gold rush got initiated, would become a major event for the world. The second part explores what changes the gold rush had brought for California’s industry, economic development, and broadly shared prosperity. The third part explains more …

Working Paper No. 68, Variables Precipitating The Extermination Of The American Bison, Cameron Winterer

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that innovations in tanning technology advanced by Europeans in the late 19th century accelerated the destruction of the bison, and subsequently the downfall of bison-reliant indigenous groups of the Great Plains, especially. The North American bison is considered as a crucial natural resource in the plains region of North America. What this inquiry seeks to emphasize is that advancements in technology, coupled with a growing demand for bison hides, contributed to the demise of bison populations. Lastly, this inquiry seeks to examine the near extinction of the plains bison and some of the effects their …

Optimal Patent Licensing—Two Or Three-Part Tariff, Swapnendu Banerjee, Arijit Mukherjee, Sougata Poddar

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

We look into technology transfer by an insider patentee in a spatial duopoly model under three types of licensing contracts—(i) two-part tariff with fixed fee and per-unit royalty, (ii) two-part tariff with fixed fee and ad-valorem royalty and (iii) general three-part tariff with fixed fee, per-unit and ad-valorem royalties. Under two-part tariff contracts, the licenser is better off with the per-unit royalty contract but the general contract does better than the other contracts. In contrast to the existing literature, all three licensing contracts may make the consumers worse-off compared to no licensing, with the lowest consumer surplus achieved under the …

A Comparison Of M&T Bank And Citizens Bank Net Income Changes During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Alex R. Glasier

Applied Economics Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on every aspect of life, particularly within the world of banking & finance. All banks saw sharp drops in their stock prices and net income, but my hypothesis is that larger, more established banks maintained more stability during 2020 than smaller banks. This paper analyzes the income statements and balance sheets of M&T Bank (an older, more well-established bank) and Citizens Bank (a less-established bank) during this difficult time.

The first part of my thesis describes similarities and differences between M&T Bank and Citizens Bank. I explain how these similarities and differences may …

An Analysis Of Uk Swap Yields, Tanweer Akram, Khawaja Mamun

WCBT Working Papers

John Maynard Keynes argued that the central bank influences the long-term interest rate through the effect of its policy rate on the short-term interest rate. However, Keynes’s claim was confined to the behavior of the long-term government bond yield. This paper investigates whether Keynes’s claim holds for the yields of spread products and over-the-counter financial derivatives by econometrically modeling the dynamics of the pound sterling–denominated longterm interest rate swap yield. It uses the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) modeling approach to examine the relationship between the month-over-month changes in the short-term swap yield and the month-over-month change in the long-term …

A Welfare Comparison Of Historical Cost And Fair Value Accounting Regimes, Palmer Edholm

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

With ongoing controversy concerning fair value and historical cost accounting, existing accounting theory is focused on intra-firm decision making and is thus deficient in addressing the issue of maximizing social welfare. I propose models of historical cost and fair value accounting regimes which are embedded in models of monopoly and oligopoly. This allows for social welfare implications. I find that historical cost results in greater expected profits for both monopolists and oligopolists. However, if the market is elastic enough, a fair value regimes is welfare enhancing. Whereas, if the market is inelastic enough, historical cost is welfare enhancing.

Size And Determinants Of The Shadow Economy In Nigeria: Evidence From A Monetary Approach, Tari M. Karimo, Mohammed M. Tumala, Ibrahim U, Wambai

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

Thiis study investigates the size and determinants of the shadow economy in Nigeria. It adopts an aggregation approach within the monetary framework and utilises the ARDL estimation technique to analyse quarterly data from 2010 Q1 to 2019 Q4. On average, the results suggest that the quarterly size of the shadow economy is about 55 per cent of the country’s GDP. The findings show that government size reduces the size of the shadow economy in the short run but increases it in the long run. The study also finds that interest rate, which is the opportunity cost of holding cash, and …

Fiscal And Monetary Policy Interactions In A Developing Economy: A Dsge-Based Evidence From Nigeria, Queen E. Oye, Philip O. Alege

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study characterizes the nature of fiscal-monetary interaction in Nigeria and gauges its macroeconomic effects by estimating a New Keynesian Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (NK DSGE) model. Two policy simulations were also conducted. The first experiment considers the desirable active-passive policy mix while the second experiment ranks alternative monetary policy rules among the differing objectives of price, output and exchange rate stabilization. The study finds that fiscal and monetary policies interact as complements in an active monetary and passive fiscal policy mix over the sample period. The result from the first policy simulation reveals that the active monetary and passive …

Market Risk Factors And Stock Returns In The Nigerian Bourse, Omorose A. Ogiemudia, Osagie Osifo, Igbinovia L. Eghosa

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study examines the link between market risk and equity return in Nigeria between 1980 to 2019. It employs the vector error correction model (VECM) to determine the short run dynamics and long run effect of market risk factors on stock return. The findings revealed that a dynamic relationship exists between market risk factors and stock returns in Nigeria. Also, exchange rate risk and oil price risks have significant influence on stock return, while inflation and interest rate risk, and political instability risks have a non-significant impact on stock return. Finally, a unidirectional relationship was detected between interest rate, oil …

Savings-Investment Gap In Sub-Saharan Africa: Does The Interaction Of Financial Sector Development And Migrant Remittances Matter?, Wasiu Adekunle, Oluwatosin Adeniyi, Joshua Afolabi, Musibau Babatunde, Edward Omiwale

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study analyses the interactive effects of migrant remittances and financial development on savings-investment gap for a panel of 18 Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries from 1990-2017. Results from a panel ARDL model show that migrant remittances reduce savings-investment gap in the long run. The gap is further reduced when the individual effect of financial development, and the interactive effects of migrant remittances and financial development are taken into consideration. Further analysis reveals evidence of widening effects of rising real GDP growth and bank deposits over a long-term horizon, while higher private sector credit widened the savings-investment gap only in the …

Impact Of Exchange Rate On Trade Flow In Nigeria, Victor U. Ijirshar, Isa J. Okpe, Jerome T. Andohol

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study examines the impact of exchange rate on trade flow in Nigeria from 1986 to 2021. The study utilises linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL and NARDL) models to test the J-Curve hypothesis and the Marshall-Lerner condition in Nigeria. The study found symmetric effects of exchange rate on trade balance, exports, and imports. The findings also show that real exchange rate depreciation has a strong negative influence on trade balance and exports in the short run but positive in the long run, exhibiting the shape typology of the J-curve. Furthermore, the study reveals evidence of the Marshall-Lerner condition …

Effects Of Central Bank Independence And Financial Stability On Inflation In Selected African Countries, Adamu Yahaya, Mohammed T. Saidu, Abdulaziz Sadi

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study examines the relationship between central bank independence (CBI), financial stability, and inflation in 14 African countries within the period 1985-2019. Initial test revealed the presence of cross-sectional dependence (CD) among the countries. Thus, the Mean Group (MG), Common Correlated Effect Mean Group (CCEMG) and Augmented Mean Group (AMG) were employed for the analysis. The CCEMG and AMG results showed a significant and negative correlation between central bank independence and inflation. On the other hand, financial stability is only significant in the MG Model. Additional results obtained using the Garriga CBI index is consistent with our main results. The …

Better-Than-Chance Prediction Of Cooperative Behaviour From First And Second Impressions, Eric Schniter, Timothy W. Shields

ESI Working Papers

Could cooperation among strangers be facilitated by adaptations that use sparse information to accurately predict cooperative behaviour? We hypothesize that predictions are influenced by beliefs, descriptions, appearance, and behavioural history available for first and second impressions. We also hypothesize that predictions improve when more information is available. We conducted a two-part study. First, we recorded thin-slice videos of university students just before their choices in a repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma with matched partners. Second, a worldwide sample of raters evaluated each player using either videos, photos, only gender labels, or neither images nor labels. Raters guessed players’ first-round Prisoner’s Dilemma choices …

Contingent Payments In Procurement Interactions - Experimental Evidence, Matthew J. Walker, Jason Shachat, Lijia Wei

ESI Working Papers

A primary objective of creating competition among suppliers is the procurement of higher quality goods and services at lower prices. When procuring non-standard goods, it is often difficult to write a complete specification of desired quality in the contract. Thus, payments to suppliers cannot be perfectly conditioned on the quality provided. We propose a correlated contingent payment contract to mitigate the supplier moral hazard problem while retaining competitive supplier selection based on price. We treat the probability of implementing contingent payments as probabilistic. The selected supplier’s payment is, according to a fixed probability, either the amount of their bid or …

The Penn Effect And Marx's International Law Of Value: A Review Of Value And Unequal Exchange By Andrea Ricci, Giuseppe Quattromini

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Placing itself in the revival of interest in unequal exchange, Ricci's book claims the need to give the theory a new conceptual foundation to justify recent proposals to estimate unequal exchange on the basis of the so-called Penn effect. In order to do that, Ricci identifies Marx's international law of value as a fitting theoretical framework and hence develops a radically innovative theory of global capitalist exploitation through international trade. Finally, he assesses the magnitude of unequal exchange over the past three decades by producing estimates based on the proposed approach.

Prolegomena To A Buddhist(Ic) Critique Of Capitalism, James Mark Shields

Faculty Contributions to Books

Not even three decades removed from Francis Fukuyama’s post-Cold War proclamation of the “End of History,” the Western world is now undergoing a crisis of conscience – at the very least – with respect to both capitalism as an economic system and neoliberalism as its less-recognized but ever-present ideological foundation. The financial crisis of 2008, the subsequent Great Recession, the Occupy movement(s) of 2011, the 2016 challenge of self-styled Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination, and growing anxiety about the fate of the planet, particularly among the young, have opened up new avenues of critique, and brought …

Maskin Meets Abreu And Matsushima, Yi-Chun Chen, Takashi Kunimoto, Yifei Sun, Siyang Xiong

Research Collection School Of Economics

The theory of full implementation has been criticized for using integer/modulo games, which admit no equilibrium (Jackson (1992)). To address the critique, we revisit the classical Nash implementation problem due to Maskin (1977, 1999) but allow for the use of lotteries and monetary transfers as in Abreu and Matsushima (1992, 1994). We unify the two well-established but somewhat orthogonal approaches in full implementation theory. We show that Maskin monotonicity is a necessary and sufficient condition for (exact) mixed-strategy Nash implementation by a finite mechanism. In contrast to previous papers, our approach possesses the following features: finite mechanisms (with no integer …

On The Market For "Lemons": When Low Quality Does Not Drive High Quality Out Of The Market, Konstantinos Giannakas, Murray E. Fulton

Cornhusker Economics

In a research article published in Nature's Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s4l 599-020-00658-w) we identify the conditions under which the introduction of a low -quality product does not drive its high-quality counterpart out of the market but, instead, ends-up coexisting with it. Using a theoretical framework of heterogeneous consumers and producers in the context of a market for quality- ( or vertically-) differentiated products supplied by producers differing in their production efficiency, we show that the equilibrium quality configuration in a market depends on both the unobservability of product quality by consumers and the relative costs …

In Favor Of Bringing Game Theory Into Urban Studies And Planning Curriculum: Reintroducing An Underused Method For The Next Generation Of Urban Scholars, Brian Mcdonald Gardner

Dissertations and Theses

By looking at some historical examples of Urban Studies literature and theory (and a detailed dive into Neil Smith's "Toward a theory of gentrification…") this thesis makes the case that Game Theory has valid insights to add to the foundation of Urban Studies and Planning and should be included in Masters and Doctorate level curriculums. As a discipline Game Theory has revolutionized multiple other fields, and can be used both mathematically and/or non-mathematically. It is postulated below that the inclusion of Game Theory would help scholars and practitioners arrive at better outcomes. This case is made by reviewing various areas …

Unfair Commercial Practices In A Pit Market: Evidence From An Artefactual Field Experiment, Francesco Bogliacino, Rafael Charris, Cristiano Codagnone, Frans Folkvord, Felipe Montealegre, Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva

ESI Publications

Commercial practices such as drip pricing, reference pricing and best-price guarantee can be used to set higher prices and mislead consumers, but protective measures can restore efficiency. In a placebo-controlled market experiment, we examined a treatment allowing for the use and misuse of commercial practices. Three additional treatments tested the effects of formal sanctions, informal sanctions and a regret nudge. We found that commercial practices led to higher prices, cheating was systematic and regret nudging was ineffective. Furthermore, formal and informal sanctions reduced both the likelihood of using commercial practices and the likelihood of cheating, leading to welfare increases.