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Frontmatter of Econometrica Vol. 93 Iss. 2 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
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Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Tax Meet Arrow–Debreu Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Robert M. Anderson, Haosui DuanmuWe propose two general equilibrium models, quota equilibrium, and emission tax equilibrium. Government specifies quotas or taxes on emissions, and then refrains from further action. All results remain valid regardless of how government chooses its emissions target. Quota equilibrium exists; the allocation of emission property rights impacts the distribution of welfare. If the only externality arises
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Choices and Outcomes in Assignment Mechanisms: The Allocation of Deceased Donor Kidneys Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Nikhil Agarwal, Charles Hodgson, Paulo SomainiWhile the mechanism design paradigm emphasizes notions of efficiency based on agent preferences, policymakers often focus on alternative objectives. School districts emphasize educational achievement, and transplantation communities focus on patient survival. It is unclear whether choice-based mechanisms perform well when assessed based on these outcomes. This paper evaluates the assignment mechanism
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People Are More Moral in Uncertain Environments Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Yiting Chen, Songfa ZhongWe conduct a series of experiments and document a robust behavioral pattern whereby people behave more morally in uncertain environments than degenerate deterministic ones. We show that this pattern is weakened when the moral implication of behavior is diminished or when uncertainty pertains to others rather than oneself. These findings are incompatible with standard models that respect dominance.
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Estimating Candidate Valence Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Kei Kawai, Takeaki SunadaWe estimate valence measures of candidates running in U.S. House elections from data on vote shares. Our identification and estimation strategy builds on ideas developed for estimating production functions, allowing us to control for possible endogeneity of campaign spending and sample selection of candidates due to endogenous entry. We find that incumbents have substantially higher valence measures
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The Impact of Incarceration on Employment, Earnings, and Tax Filing Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Andrew Garin, Dmitri Koustas, Carl McPherson, Samuel Norris, Matthew Pecenco, Evan K. Rose, Yotam Shem-Tov, Jeffrey WeaverWe study the effect of incarceration on wages, self-employment, and taxes and transfers in North Carolina and Ohio using two quasi-experimental research designs: discontinuities in sentencing guidelines and random assignment to judges. Across both states, incarceration generates short-term drops in economic activity while individuals remain in prison. As a result, a year-long sentence decreases cumulative
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Double Robust Bayesian Inference on Average Treatment Effects Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Christoph Breunig, Ruixuan Liu, Zhengfei YuWe propose a double robust Bayesian inference procedure on the average treatment effect (ATE) under unconfoundedness. For our new Bayesian approach, we first adjust the prior distributions of the conditional mean functions, and then correct the posterior distribution of the resulting ATE. Both adjustments make use of pilot estimators motivated by the semiparametric influence function for ATE estimation
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On (Constrained) Efficiency of Strategy-Proof Random Assignment Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Christian Basteck, Lars EhlersWe study random assignment of indivisible objects among a set of agents, when each agent is to receive one object and has strict preferences over the objects. Random Serial Dictatorship (RSD) satisfies equal treatment of equals, ex post efficiency, and strategy-proofness. Answering a longstanding open question, we show that RSD is not characterized by those properties—there are other mechanisms satisfying
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Feedback Design in Dynamic Moral Hazard Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Jeffrey C. Ely, George Georgiadis, Luis RayoWe study the joint design of dynamic incentives and performance feedback for an environment with a coarse (all-or-nothing) measure of performance, and show that hiding information from the agent can be an optimal way to motivate effort. Using a novel approach to incentive compatibility, we derive a two-phase solution that begins with a “silent phase” where the agent is given no feedback and is asked
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A Quest for Knowledge Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Christoph Carnehl, Johannes SchneiderIs more novel research always desirable? We develop a model in which knowledge shapes society's policies and guides the search for discoveries. Researchers select a question and how intensely to study it. The novelty of a question determines both the value and difficulty of discovering its answer. We show that the benefits of discoveries are nonmonotone in novelty. Knowledge expands endogenously step-by-step
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Comparative Statics With Adjustment Costs and the Le Chatelier Principle Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Eddie Dekel, John K.-H. Quah, Ludvig SinanderWe develop a theory of monotone comparative statics for models with adjustment costs. We show that comparative-statics conclusions may be drawn under the usual ordinal complementarity assumptions on the objective function, assuming very little about costs: only a mild monotonicity condition is required. We use this insight to prove a general Le Chatelier principle: under the ordinal complementarity
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Uniform Priors for Impulse Responses Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
Jonas E. Arias, Juan F. Rubio-Ramírez, Daniel F. WaggonerThere has been a call for caution regarding the standard procedure for Bayesian inference in set-identified structural vector autoregressions on the grounds that the common practice of using a uniform prior over the set of orthogonal matrices induces a non-uniform prior for individual impulse responses or other quantities of interest. This paper challenges this call by formally showing that when the
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2024 Election of Fellows to the Econometric Society Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
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Backmatter of Econometrica Vol. 93 Iss. 2 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-03-29
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Seeding a Simple Contagion Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
Evan SadlerI propose a method for selecting seeds to maximize contagion. First, fit a random graph model using a coarse categorization of individuals. Next, compute a seed multiplier for each category—this is the average number of new infections a seed generates. Finally, seed the category with the highest multiplier. Relative to the most common methods, my approach requires far less granular data, and it consumes
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Frontmatter of Econometrica Vol. 93 Iss. 1 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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The Political Economy of Zero-Sum Thinking Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
S. Nageeb Ali, Maximilian Mihm, Lucas SigaThis paper offers a strategic rationale for zero-sum thinking in elections. We show that asymmetric information and distributional considerations together make voters wary of policies supported by others. This force impels a majority of voters to support policies contrary to their preferences and information. Our analysis identifies and interprets a form of “adverse correlation” that is necessary and
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History's Masters The Effect of European Monarchs on State Performance Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
Sebastian Ottinger, Nico Voigtl?nderWe create a novel reign-level data set for European monarchs, covering all major European states between the 10th and 18th centuries. We first document a strong positive relationship between rulers' cognitive ability and state performance. To address endogeneity issues, we exploit the facts that (i) rulers were appointed according to hereditary succession, independent of their ability, and (ii) the
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The Margins of Trade Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
Ana Cecília Fieler, Jonathan EatonWelfare depends on the quantity, quality, and range of goods consumed. We use trade data, which report the quantities and prices of the individual goods that countries exchange, to learn about how the gains from trade and growth break down into these different margins. Our general equilibrium model, in which both quality and quantity contribute to consumption and to production, captures (i) how prices
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How Well Does Bargaining Work in Consumer Markets? A Robust Bounds Approach Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
Joachim Freyberger, Bradley J. LarsenThis study provides a structural analysis of detailed, alternating-offer bargaining data from eBay, deriving bounds on buyers and sellers private value distributions and the gains from trade using a range of assumptions on behavior and the informational environment. These assumptions range from weak (assuming only that acceptance and rejection decisions are rational) to less weak (e.g., assuming that
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Persuasion Meets Delegation Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
Anton Kolotilin, Andriy ZapechelnyukA principal can restrict an agent's information (the persuasion problem) or discretion (the delegation problem). We study these two problems under standard single-crossing assumptions on the agent's marginal utility. We show that these problems are equivalent on the set of monotone stochastic mechanisms, implying, in particular, the equivalence of deterministic delegation and monotone partitional persuasion
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Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know: Learning in Low- and High-Inflation Settings Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
Michael Weber, Bernardo Candia, Hassan Afrouzi, Tiziano Ropele, Rodrigo Lluberas, Serafin Frache, Brent Meyer, Saten Kumar, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Dimitris Georgarakos, Olivier Coibion, Geoff Kenny, Jorge PonceUsing randomized control trials (RCTs) applied over time in different countries, we study whether the economic environment affects how agents learn from new information. We show that as inflation rose in advanced economies, both households and firms became more attentive and informed about publicly available news about inflation, leading them to respond less to exogenously provided information about
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Minimum Wages, Efficiency, and Welfare Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
David Berger, Kyle Herkenhoff, Simon MongeyMany argue that minimum wages can prevent efficiency losses from monopsony power. We assess this argument in a general equilibrium model of oligopsonistic labor markets with heterogeneous workers and firms. We decompose welfare gains into an efficiency component that captures reductions in monopsony power and a redistributive component that captures the way minimum wages shift resources across people
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The Econometric Society Annual Reports Report of the Secretary Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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The Econometric Society Annual Reports Report of the Treasurer Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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The Econometric Society Annual Reports Report of the Editors 2023–2024 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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The Econometric Society Annual Reports Econometrica Referees 2023–2024 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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The Econometric Society Annual Reports Report of the Editors of the Monograph Series Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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Submission of Manuscripts to the Econometric Society Monograph Series Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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Backmatter of Econometrica Vol. 93 Iss. 1 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2025-02-03
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Sparse Network Asymptotics for Logistic Regression Under Possible Misspecification Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Bryan S. GrahamConsider a bipartite network where N consumers choose to buy or not to buy M different products. This paper considers the properties of the logit fit of the N?×?M array of “i-buys-j” purchase decisions, , onto a vector of known functions of consumer and product attributes under asymptotic sequences where (i) both N and M grow large, (ii) the average number of products purchased per consumer is finite
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Matching and Agglomeration: Theory and Evidence From Japanese Firm-to-Firm Trade Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Yuhei MiyauchiThis paper shows that matching frictions and a thick market externality in firm-to-firm trade shape the agglomeration of economic activity. Using panel data of firm-to-firm trade in Japan, I demonstrate that firms gradually match with alternative suppliers following an unanticipated supplier bankruptcy, and that the rate of rematching increases in the geographic density of alternative suppliers. Motivated
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Frontmatter of Econometrica Vol. 92 Iss. 6 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
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The Impacts of Managerial Autonomy on Firm Outcomes Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Namrata KalaThe allocation of decision-making power is a critical choice that organizations make to mitigate agency problems and information frictions. This paper investigates the role of delegation for organizations where the agency problem is both pervasive and has potentially high welfare consequences: state-owned enterprises (SOEs). I use a natural experiment in India to uncover the causal effects of granting
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Aggregate Implications of Barriers to Female Entrepreneurship Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Gaurav Chiplunkar, Pinelopi Koujianou GoldbergWe develop a framework for quantifying barriers to labor force participation (LFP) and entrepreneurship faced by women in India. We find substantial barriers to LFP, and higher costs of expanding businesses through hiring workers for women entrepreneurs. However, there is one area where female entrepreneurs have an advantage: the hiring of female workers. We show that this is not driven by the sectoral
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Privacy-Preserving Signals Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Philipp Strack, Kai Hao YangA signal is privacy-preserving with respect to a collection of privacy sets if the posterior probability assigned to every privacy set remains unchanged conditional on any signal realization. We characterize the privacy-preserving signals for arbitrary state space and arbitrary privacy sets. A signal is privacy-preserving if and only if it is a garbling of a reordered quantile signal. Furthermore,
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Stationary Social Learning in a Changing Environment Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Rapha?l Levy, Marcin P?ski, Nicolas VieilleWe consider social learning in a changing world. With changing states, societies can be responsive only if agents regularly act upon fresh information, which significantly limits the value of observational learning. When the state is close to persistent, a consensus whereby most agents choose the same action typically emerges. However, the consensus action is not perfectly correlated with the state
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Ambiguous Contracts Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Paul Dütting, Michal Feldman, Daniel Peretz, Larry SamuelsonWe explore the deliberate infusion of ambiguity into the design of contracts. We show that when the agent is ambiguity-averse and hence chooses an action that maximizes their minimum utility, the principal can strictly gain from using an ambiguous contract, and this gain can be arbitrarily high. We characterize the structure of optimal ambiguous contracts, showing that ambiguity drives optimal contracts
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Adaptive, Rate-Optimal Hypothesis Testing in Nonparametric IV Models Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Christoph Breunig, Xiaohong ChenWe propose a new adaptive hypothesis test for inequality (e.g., monotonicity, convexity) and equality (e.g., parametric, semiparametric) restrictions on a structural function in a nonparametric instrumental variables (NPIV) model. Our test statistic is based on a modified leave-one-out sample analog of a quadratic distance between the restricted and unrestricted sieve two-stage least squares estimators
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Caution and Reference Effects Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-11-21
Simone Cerreia-Vioglio, David Dillenberger, Pietro OrtolevaWe introduce Cautious Utility, a new model based on the idea that individuals are unsure of trade-offs between goods and apply caution. The model yields an endowment effect, even when gains and losses are treated symmetrically. Moreover, it implies either loss aversion or loss neutrality for risk, but in a way unrelated to the endowment effect, and it captures the certainty effect, providing a novel
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Frontmatter of Econometrica Vol. 92 Iss. 5 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
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Historical Self-Governance and Norms of Cooperation Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Devesh RustagiDoes self-governance, a hallmark of democratic societies, foster norms of generalized cooperation? Does this effect persist, and if so, why? I investigate these questions using a natural experiment in Switzerland. In the Middle Ages, the absence of an heir resulted in the extinction of a prominent noble dynasty. As a result, some Swiss municipalities became self-governing, whereas the others remained
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Submission of Manuscripts to the Econometric Society Monograph Series Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
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A Comment on “Testing Models of Social Learning on Networks: Evidence From Two Experiments” Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Marina Agranov, Benjamin Gillen, Dotan PersitzClick on the article title to read more.
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Backmatter of Econometrica Vol. 92 Iss. 5 Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
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Can Deficits Finance Themselves? Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
George-Marios Angeletos, Chen Lian, Christian K. WolfWe ask how fiscal deficits are financed in environments with two key features: (i) nominal rigidity, and (ii) a violation of Ricardian equivalence due to finite lives or liquidity constraints. In such environments, deficits can contribute to their own financing through two channels: a boom in real economic activity, which expands the tax base; and a surge in inflation, which erodes the real value of
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On the Structure of Informationally Robust Optimal Mechanisms Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Benjamin Brooks, Songzi DuWe study the design of optimal mechanisms when the designer is uncertain both about the form of information held by the agents and also about which equilibrium will be played. The guarantee of a mechanism is its worst performance across all information structures and equilibria. The potential of an information structure is its best performance across all mechanisms and equilibria. We formulate a pair
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The Rise of Fiscal Capacity: Administration and State Consolidation in the Holy Roman Empire Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Davide Cantoni, Cathrin Mohr, Matthias WeigandThis paper studies the role of fiscal capacity in European state consolidation. Our analysis is organized around novel data on the territories and cities of the Holy Roman Empire in the early modern period. Territories implementing an early fiscal reform were more likely to survive, increased in size, and achieved a more compact extent. We provide evidence for the causal interpretation of these results
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Exact Bias Correction for Linear Adjustment of Randomized Controlled Trials Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Haoge Chang, Joel A. Middleton, P. M. AronowFreedman (2008a,b) showed that the linear regression estimator is biased for the analysis of randomized controlled trials under the randomization model. Under Freedman's assumptions, we derive exact closed-form bias corrections for the linear regression estimator. We show that the limiting distribution of the bias corrected estimator is identical to the uncorrected estimator. Taken together with results
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Robust Real Rate Rules Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Tom D. HoldenCentral banks wish to avoid self-fulfilling fluctuations. Interest rate rules with a unit response to real rates achieve this under the weakest possible assumptions about the behavior of households and firms. They are robust to household heterogeneity, hand-to-mouth consumers, non-rational household or firm expectations, active fiscal policy, and to any form of intertemporal or nominal-real links.
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Random Votes to Parties and Policies in Coalition Governments Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Matteo Cervellati, Giorgio Gulino, Paolo RobertiWe exploit a natural experiment involving a randomization of votes across parties within coalitions in all local elections in Italy for over a decade. A lottery on the position of party symbols in the ballot papers allows estimating the causal effect of increasing votes to parties for coalition policies. A non-marginal random boost of votes shifts budgetary spending towards the treated party's platform
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Propagation and Amplification of Local Productivity Spillovers Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Xavier Giroud, Simone Lenzu, Quinn Maingi, Holger MuellerThe gains from agglomeration economies are believed to be highly localized. Using confidential Census plant-level data, we show that large industrial plant openings raise the productivity not only of local plants but also of distant plants hundreds of miles away, which belong to large multi-plant, multi-region firms that are exposed to the local productivity spillover through one of their plants. This
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Endogenous Production Networks Under Supply Chain Uncertainty Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Alexandr Kopytov, Bineet Mishra, Kristoffer Nimark, Mathieu Taschereau-DumouchelSupply chain disturbances can lead to substantial increases in production costs. To mitigate these risks, firms may take steps to reduce their reliance on volatile suppliers. We construct a model of endogenous network formation to investigate how these decisions affect the structure of the production network and the level and volatility of macroeconomic aggregates. When uncertainty increases in the
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Spatial Unit Roots and Spurious Regression Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Ulrich K. Müller, Mark W. WatsonThis paper proposes a model for, and investigates the consequences of, strong spatial dependence in economic variables. Our findings echo those of the corresponding “unit root” time series literature: Spatial unit root processes induce spuriously significant regression results, even with clustered standard errors or spatial HAC corrections. We develop large-sample valid unit root and stationarity tests
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Lifestyle Behaviors and Wealth-Health Gaps in Germany Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Lukas Mahler, Minchul YumWe document significant gaps in wealth across health status over the life cycle in Germany—a country with a universal healthcare system and negligible out-of-pocket medical expenses. To investigate the underlying sources of these wealth-health gaps, we build a heterogeneous-agent life-cycle model in which health and wealth evolve endogenously. In the model, agents exert efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle
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Contractual Chains Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-09-27
Joel WatsonThis paper develops a model of private bilateral contracting, in which an exogenous network determines the pairs of players who can communicate and contract with each other. After contracting, the players interact in an underlying game with globally verifiable productive actions and externally enforced transfers. The paper investigates whether such decentralized contracting can internalize externalities
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Presidential Address: Economics and Measurement: New Measures to Model Decision Making Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-07-30
Ingvild Alm?s, Orazio Attanasio, Pamela JervisMost empirical work in economics has considered only a narrow set of measures as meaningful and useful to characterize individual behavior, a restriction justified by the difficulties in collecting a wider set. However, this approach often forces the use of strong assumptions to estimate the parameters that inform individual behavior and identify causal links. In this paper, we argue that a more flexible
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Monotone Additive Statistics Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-07-30
Xiaosheng Mu, Luciano Pomatto, Philipp Strack, Omer TamuzThe expectation is an example of a descriptive statistic that is monotone with respect to stochastic dominance, and additive for sums of independent random variables. We provide a complete characterization of such statistics, and explore a number of applications to models of individual and group decision-making. These include a representation of stationary monotone time preferences, extending the work
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Beyond Unbounded Beliefs: How Preferences and Information Interplay in Social Learning Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-07-30
Navin Kartik, SangMok Lee, Tianhao Liu, Daniel RappoportWhen does society eventually learn the truth, or take the correct action, via observational learning? In a general model of sequential learning over social networks, we identify a simple condition for learning dubbed excludability. Excludability is a joint property of agents' preferences and their information. We develop two classes of preferences and information that jointly satisfy excludability:
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The Unequal Effects of Pollution on Labor Supply Econometrica (IF 6.6) Pub Date : 2024-07-30
Bridget Hoffmann, Juan Pablo RudWe use high-frequency data on fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5) at the locality level to study the effects of high pollution on daily labor supply decisions in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. We document a negative, non-linear relationship between PM 2.5 and same-day labor supply, with strong effects on days with extremely high pollution levels. On these days, the average worker