Abstract This article studies how the structure of centralized markets can affect efficient allocation in anonymous decentralized trades. In line with previous studies, we show that efficiency in decentralized markets can be sustained in a moneyless finite-number-of-agents setting if agents are patient enough and the price is observed with noise. We additionally show that, if there are no gains from trade, then the price associated with an inactive centralized market is zero irrespective of the noise. Thus, the non-essentiality-of-money result is a more robust phenomenon when the centralized market acts only as a coordination device.
{"title":"The essentiality of money in a trading post economy with random matching","authors":"Alessandro Marchesiani","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad038","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article studies how the structure of centralized markets can affect efficient allocation in anonymous decentralized trades. In line with previous studies, we show that efficiency in decentralized markets can be sustained in a moneyless finite-number-of-agents setting if agents are patient enough and the price is observed with noise. We additionally show that, if there are no gains from trade, then the price associated with an inactive centralized market is zero irrespective of the noise. Thus, the non-essentiality-of-money result is a more robust phenomenon when the centralized market acts only as a coordination device.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136072657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The papers in this Special Issue contribute to a rich literature on the economics of charitable giving. They address several novel questions covering a wide range of open issues in the philanthropic realm. For example, many of our papers study what works and what does not work for a charitable organization to boost giving money or time. Other papers examine fundraising mechanisms and possible underlying motives shaping donors’ giving behaviour. Our papers combine multiple methodologies, such as theory, observational data as well as laboratory and field experiments, to address these issues. Taken together, our Special Issue offers novel insights and approaches in the field of charitable giving that will be of interest to academics and policymakers alike.
{"title":"Introduction to the special issue on ‘new directions in understanding philanthropic activities’","authors":"Maja Adena, Michalis Drouvelis, Steffen Huck","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad035","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The papers in this Special Issue contribute to a rich literature on the economics of charitable giving. They address several novel questions covering a wide range of open issues in the philanthropic realm. For example, many of our papers study what works and what does not work for a charitable organization to boost giving money or time. Other papers examine fundraising mechanisms and possible underlying motives shaping donors’ giving behaviour. Our papers combine multiple methodologies, such as theory, observational data as well as laboratory and field experiments, to address these issues. Taken together, our Special Issue offers novel insights and approaches in the field of charitable giving that will be of interest to academics and policymakers alike.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135715942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract We derive a traditional Phillips curve (TPC) under the assumption that a fraction of firms sells output at optimal prices, while the other fraction sells at contract prices. Our derivation delivers a pricing mechanism where inflation depends on expected inflation and the real optimal price, which is the real marginal cost. The parameters of this Phillips curve have a clear structural interpretation in much the same way as its new Keynesian counterpart.. Using a Leontief-type technology, our baseline TPC features expected inflation, the labour share, demand pressure and a vector of supply shocks. We estimate this TPC for five developed and five emerging market economies and find that the degree of price rigidity is significant and correctly signed in most of the economies. We conclude that this TPC is a credible rival to its forward-looking new Keynesian counterpart.
{"title":"Inflation dynamics: a traditional perspective","authors":"Christopher Malikane","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad037","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract We derive a traditional Phillips curve (TPC) under the assumption that a fraction of firms sells output at optimal prices, while the other fraction sells at contract prices. Our derivation delivers a pricing mechanism where inflation depends on expected inflation and the real optimal price, which is the real marginal cost. The parameters of this Phillips curve have a clear structural interpretation in much the same way as its new Keynesian counterpart.. Using a Leontief-type technology, our baseline TPC features expected inflation, the labour share, demand pressure and a vector of supply shocks. We estimate this TPC for five developed and five emerging market economies and find that the degree of price rigidity is significant and correctly signed in most of the economies. We conclude that this TPC is a credible rival to its forward-looking new Keynesian counterpart.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135715770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ablam Estel Apeti, Bao-We-Wal Bambe, Aguima Aime Bernard Lompo
Abstract This article provides a large dataset on PSE using a parametric approach, and covering 158 countries of all income levels, over the period 1990–2017. The analysis includes four sectors: education, health, infrastructure, and public administration. We further consider three efficiency indicators regarding the ‘Musgravian’ tasks for government: allocation, distribution, and stabilization. After computing the efficiency scores for our sample countries, we examine their determinants using a wide range of economic and institutional factors. Our key findings are that trade globalization, factor productivity, and institutional quality seem to be important determinants of total PSE. The results remain robust to alternative specifications and methods. Finally, we provide additional evidence by exploring the sensitivity of the main determinants to different country groups, considering the level of economic development, geographical regions, and fragile states.
{"title":"Determinants of public sector efficiency: a panel database from a stochastic frontier analysis","authors":"Ablam Estel Apeti, Bao-We-Wal Bambe, Aguima Aime Bernard Lompo","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad036","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article provides a large dataset on PSE using a parametric approach, and covering 158 countries of all income levels, over the period 1990–2017. The analysis includes four sectors: education, health, infrastructure, and public administration. We further consider three efficiency indicators regarding the ‘Musgravian’ tasks for government: allocation, distribution, and stabilization. After computing the efficiency scores for our sample countries, we examine their determinants using a wide range of economic and institutional factors. Our key findings are that trade globalization, factor productivity, and institutional quality seem to be important determinants of total PSE. The results remain robust to alternative specifications and methods. Finally, we provide additional evidence by exploring the sensitivity of the main determinants to different country groups, considering the level of economic development, geographical regions, and fragile states.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":"318 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136272319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We investigate whether the public provision of positional goods can be a sensible instrument to address inefficiencies arising from relative-standing externalities associated with the excessive consumption of such goods. In situations where consumers face a discrete choice between a private and a public alternative, providing the latter for free or at a subsidized rate generates incentives to opt for the public alternative. This allows to reduce excessive consumption. We show that such policies can increase welfare and characterize situations where they can even implement efficiency. Efficiency can typically be achieved if the non-positional utility component is sufficiently important. Moreover, we investigate how the public provision of positional goods may be a useful policy instrument in second-best situations, where either the government is constrained to rely on distortionary taxes, or where it redistributes facing information constraints.
{"title":"On the public provision of positional goods","authors":"Désirée I. Christofzik, Sebastian G. Kessing","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad034","url":null,"abstract":"We investigate whether the public provision of positional goods can be a sensible instrument to address inefficiencies arising from relative-standing externalities associated with the excessive consumption of such goods. In situations where consumers face a discrete choice between a private and a public alternative, providing the latter for free or at a subsidized rate generates incentives to opt for the public alternative. This allows to reduce excessive consumption. We show that such policies can increase welfare and characterize situations where they can even implement efficiency. Efficiency can typically be achieved if the non-positional utility component is sufficiently important. Moreover, we investigate how the public provision of positional goods may be a useful policy instrument in second-best situations, where either the government is constrained to rely on distortionary taxes, or where it redistributes facing information constraints.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48320749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this article, we analytically model marital sorting, intergenerational transfers, and inequality in a household optimization model with uncertainty. We modify and apply a ‘sorting, reverse sorting’ numerical approach by Demirtas in the context of marriage market mating, illustrating the robustness of our analytical results. We show that the parameters of the family production function play an important role in driving the path of an economy’s inequality. One finding is that, under assortative mating, factor shares in the family production function positively affect inequality, while under disassortative mating, the relationship between the factor shares and inequality is U-shaped. This and other results that we obtain can stimulate further empirical research, holding potentially important policy implications.
{"title":"Marital sorting, family output, and wealth inequality","authors":"Emin Gahramanov, Xueli Tang, Zhenhai Yang, Sheng Zhu","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad033","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In this article, we analytically model marital sorting, intergenerational transfers, and inequality in a household optimization model with uncertainty. We modify and apply a ‘sorting, reverse sorting’ numerical approach by Demirtas in the context of marriage market mating, illustrating the robustness of our analytical results. We show that the parameters of the family production function play an important role in driving the path of an economy’s inequality. One finding is that, under assortative mating, factor shares in the family production function positively affect inequality, while under disassortative mating, the relationship between the factor shares and inequality is U-shaped. This and other results that we obtain can stimulate further empirical research, holding potentially important policy implications.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47957757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Using US survey data, we show that those on performance pay work substantially longer hours. This remains in worker fixed-effect estimates and in worker with employer fixed-effect estimates. The magnitudes confirm increased hours as a dimension of the anticipated effort response and long hours as a potential intermediary between performance pay and reduced worker health. Despite managers being the most likely to both receive performance pay and work long hours, this association largely reflects sorting and not the behavioral response evident for other workers.
{"title":"Performance pay and work hours: US survey evidence","authors":"Benjamin Artz, John S Heywood","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad032","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Using US survey data, we show that those on performance pay work substantially longer hours. This remains in worker fixed-effect estimates and in worker with employer fixed-effect estimates. The magnitudes confirm increased hours as a dimension of the anticipated effort response and long hours as a potential intermediary between performance pay and reduced worker health. Despite managers being the most likely to both receive performance pay and work long hours, this association largely reflects sorting and not the behavioral response evident for other workers.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":"56 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136000144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rajshri Jayaraman, Michael Kaiser, Marrit Teirlinck
We investigate the demand and supply of charitable donations to natural disasters on a large online platform. We document that the bulk of charitable donations goes to a tiny fraction of natural disasters, which tend to be severe disasters that receive media coverage. Charities do not fundraise for the remaining 96% of disasters, which account for 80% of casualties. Using an event study-type design to explore temporal patterns in charitable donations, we find that fundraising and giving for disaster relief occur in a timely fashion, but that both are effectively absent for disasters that occur within a 2-month window of large disasters which have attracted massive funding. We also find no evidence that donations to disasters crowd out those to other charitable causes.
{"title":"Charitable donations to natural disasters: evidence from an online platform","authors":"Rajshri Jayaraman, Michael Kaiser, Marrit Teirlinck","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad029","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 We investigate the demand and supply of charitable donations to natural disasters on a large online platform. We document that the bulk of charitable donations goes to a tiny fraction of natural disasters, which tend to be severe disasters that receive media coverage. Charities do not fundraise for the remaining 96% of disasters, which account for 80% of casualties. Using an event study-type design to explore temporal patterns in charitable donations, we find that fundraising and giving for disaster relief occur in a timely fashion, but that both are effectively absent for disasters that occur within a 2-month window of large disasters which have attracted massive funding. We also find no evidence that donations to disasters crowd out those to other charitable causes.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49311302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Simona Cicognani, Sebastian Stein, Mirco Tonin, Michael Vlassopoulos
Abstract The provision of activities with external benefits that rely on voluntary contributions may often fall below societal needs. In this article, we focus on such contributions to a citizen science project (the World Community Grid) in which members of the general public are asked to offer unused computer power to advance cutting-edge scientific research. We investigate the role played by symbolic awards in stimulating existing contributors to recruit new contributors for this project. The recruitment campaign we study introduces badges for referrals (visible on each user’s public profile page) varying, across randomized treatment groups, the threshold of successful referrals needed to receive these badges. We find that these symbolic incentives are effective in boosting referrals, and more so when the minimum threshold for achieving symbolic awards is higher. However, the overall effect of the incentives is quite modest, highlighting the challenges of running referral campaigns for the recruitment of volunteers.
{"title":"Symbolic incentives and the recruitment of volunteers for citizen science projects","authors":"Simona Cicognani, Sebastian Stein, Mirco Tonin, Michael Vlassopoulos","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad031","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The provision of activities with external benefits that rely on voluntary contributions may often fall below societal needs. In this article, we focus on such contributions to a citizen science project (the World Community Grid) in which members of the general public are asked to offer unused computer power to advance cutting-edge scientific research. We investigate the role played by symbolic awards in stimulating existing contributors to recruit new contributors for this project. The recruitment campaign we study introduces badges for referrals (visible on each user’s public profile page) varying, across randomized treatment groups, the threshold of successful referrals needed to receive these badges. We find that these symbolic incentives are effective in boosting referrals, and more so when the minimum threshold for achieving symbolic awards is higher. However, the overall effect of the incentives is quite modest, highlighting the challenges of running referral campaigns for the recruitment of volunteers.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":"85 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136328396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Economic preferences are often taken as given, yet evidence shows that preferences respond to life events and change over time. We examine the evolution of other-regarding preferences for a cohort of university students over 5 years, starting before they matriculate and extending one year beyond graduation. Using survey and incentivized measures of preferences, we show that altruism declines over the university years. This decline is reflected in changes in charitable giving over three donation opportunities. We rule out several alternative explanations for the observed change, including cohort differences, perceptions of the charities, and experience with experiments. We show evidence of a ‘giving type’ in charitable giving, with consistency in behavior across giving opportunities. Methodologically, we also show that the incentivized and survey measures are similar at predicting giving types. We conclude that preferences reflect common tendencies over time, while simultaneously showing an overall decline in generosity during the university years.
{"title":"The evolution of preferences and charitable giving: a panel study of the university years","authors":"Catherine Eckel, Nishita Sinha, Rick Wilson","doi":"10.1093/oep/gpad030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpad030","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Economic preferences are often taken as given, yet evidence shows that preferences respond to life events and change over time. We examine the evolution of other-regarding preferences for a cohort of university students over 5 years, starting before they matriculate and extending one year beyond graduation. Using survey and incentivized measures of preferences, we show that altruism declines over the university years. This decline is reflected in changes in charitable giving over three donation opportunities. We rule out several alternative explanations for the observed change, including cohort differences, perceptions of the charities, and experience with experiments. We show evidence of a ‘giving type’ in charitable giving, with consistency in behavior across giving opportunities. Methodologically, we also show that the incentivized and survey measures are similar at predicting giving types. We conclude that preferences reflect common tendencies over time, while simultaneously showing an overall decline in generosity during the university years.","PeriodicalId":48092,"journal":{"name":"Oxford Economic Papers-New Series","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134919507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}