Conventional economic theory assumes that consumers are fully rational, that they have well-defined preferences and easily understand the market environment. Yet, in fact, consumers may have inconsistent, context-dependent preferences or simply not enough brain-power to evaluate and compare complicated products. Thus the standard model of consumer behavior-which depends on an ideal market in which consumers are boundlessly rational-is called into question. While behavioral economists have for some time confirmed and characterized these inconsistencies, the logical next step is to examine the implications they have in markets.
Grounded in key observations in consumer psychology, Bounded Rationality and Industrial Organization develops non-standard models of "boundedly rational" consumer behavior and embeds them into familiar models of markets. It then rigorously analyses each model in the tradition of microeconomic theory, leading to a richer, more realistic picture of consumer behavior. Ran Spiegler analyses phenomena such as exploitative price plans in the credit market, complexity of financial products and other obfuscation practices, consumer antagonism to unexpected price increases, and the role of default options in consumer decision making. Spiegler unifies the relevant literature into three main strands: limited ability to anticipate and control future choices, limited ability to understand complex market environments, and sensitivity to reference points.
Although the challenge of enriching the psychology of decision makers in economic models has been at the frontier of theoretical research in the last decade, there has been no graduate-level, theory-oriented textbook to cover developments in the last 10-15 years. Thus, Bounded Rationality andIndustrial Organization offers a welcome and crucial new understanding of market behavior-it challenges conventional wisdom in ways that are interesting and economically significant, and which in the end effect the well-being of all market participants.

The virtues and failings of market economies are at present widely debated and the outcome of the debate is of practical importance. This book contains essays that address these issues of economic policy ranging from privatization of industry and financial markets to education and the proposal for an internal market in the health service. Apart from two general theoretical pieces, particular markets, and proposals for creating such markets, are studied.

This book has its focus on the dynamics of oligopoly games. Several contributions show how easily the unique Nash equilibria in some most traditional oligopoly models may lose stability, giving way to complex phenomena, such as periodic/chaotic processes, and to multi stability of coexistent attractors. The bifurcations producing these phenomena are studied by means of recently accumulated global methods, based on the use of critical curves. These tools are explained in a separate methodological chapter. The book also contains some historical background of the present theory. In this way the book becomes suitable also as an advanced text for industrial organisation courses. The various models presented in the book focus both classical Cournot types, and Hotelling`s "ice cream vendor" problems, including location choice. The author list comprises some of the most prolific contributors to current dynamic oligopoly modelling.

Russia is moving dramatically ahead in reforming its economy and its firms. This joint Russian and American work focuses on the key issue in the Russian economic reform process--how to convert state-owned firms into successful private companies capable of competing in a market economy. Unique case studies of Russian enterprises, their legal and internal structure, management philosophy, and economic performance, provide insightful analyses of the ongoing Russian experience with economic reform. Recent Russian legislation and its implications for privatization are also discussed.

Hardbound. Volume 9 is entitled Industrial Organization and is the ninth volume in the series Advances in Applied Microeconomics. This series provides a forum in which researchers may disseminate frontier research in applied microeconomics to include both theoretical and empirical contributions in applied areas such as industrial organization, consumer and producer behavior, public economics, natural resources, and other applied microeconomic fields. Volumes are published along themes and contain theoretical papers that apply state-of-the-art theory to model important real-world phenomenon, as well as empirical papers that examine such phenomenon.

In six chapters this book introduces a micro-economic model where trade takes place through a stable structure of bilateral exchange institutions.The main problem in such models is that, for well-known equilibrium concepts, equilibrium may fail to exist in the corresponding game. In this work an adaptation of such models - hierarchically structured economies - is introduced. The possibilities and limitations of the use of the concept of subgame perfect equilibrium within the context of this kind of models is discussed. Furthermore, it is shown that some well-known market forms, viz. Walrasian and monopolistic markets, occur as special cases. A modification of the concept of subgame perfect equilibrium is introduced to formulate and prove a general theorem on the existence of equilibrium in hierarchically structured economies.

This volume is a follow-up to the earlier "Urban Economics, Volume 2" of "Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics," edited by Edwin Mills. The earlier volume, published in 1987, focussed on urban economic theory. This new handbook, in contrast, focuses on applied urban research. The difference is of course in emphasis. The earlier volume was by no means entirely concerned with theoretical research and this one is by no means entirely concerned with applied research.

There have certainly been important theoretical developments during the last decade, and they are surveyed at appropriate places in this volume. However, there has been an outpouring of high quality applied research in urban economics, as in other specialties. The reasons for the rapid growth of applied research are not difficult to identify; improved theoretical frameworks within which to do applied research; improved econometric techniques and software; more and better data; and, probably most important, ever cheaper computing power, which is being ever more widely distributed within the research community, providing increasingly easy access to and analysis of, data.

Selection and classification of topics to include in this handbook has inevitably depended on the editors' perceptions of subjects on which important research has been undertaken. It has also depended on the availability of authors who were able and willing to write critical surveys of large amounts of international research. An attempt was made to include authors and have them survey research from a variety of countries. However, there is still a US bias in applied urban research, partly related to the availability of data and computers but also to the sheer size of the US research community.

For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

Although China is generally considered to have suffered continuous deforestation over most of its history, forests were protected or even planted and maintained for centuries in some places. This study identifies six such cases. It uses historical evidence to show that individuals and communities act to manage resources sustainably for a number of reasons including economic benefit, religious or symbolic purposes, and that sustainability of the management system depends on the form of control exerted over the resource.

It is beyond any doubt that East-Central European countries such as Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia has dramatically changed its shape through its radical transition from centrally planned to the market economies in last 7 years. Many economists divide the process of economic transformation into areas of Stabilization, Liberalization, and Privatization/Restructuring. The traditional view is that stabilization and liberalization can be achieved rather quickly-by balancing budgets, balance of payments, tightening money supply, freeing prices and liberalizing trade-but that the area of privatization is one that could be moved to the future and will require much more time. Until 1991, none of the post-communist nations except former East Germany (which had a large decree of support from West Germany) had succeeded in privatizing large numbers of enterprises, even though more than two years had passed since the changes in government in these nations. The privatization has been, however, seen as an extremely important part of reform package together with stabilization and liberalization especially in the Czech Republic from the very beginning. The Czechs originally as a part of the Czechoslovak Federal Republic embarked on an unprecedented path that should have lead not only to stabilization and liberalization, but also to very rapid, mass privatization of its sector of large enterprises that have dominated its economy to an extreme extent.

This anthology concerns the economic and demographic changes that have occurred in northeastern Ohio since 1960, but specifically during the 1970s and 1980s when that region's major industries (rubber, steel, automobiles) experienced severe decline. Sixteen chapters reflect on the reasons for industrial restructuring, the implications for population growth and future employment and investment opportunities, and the role of local, state, and national governments in undertaking policies that generate economic activity. Three themes dominate: the centrality of employment in regional development; the relation between economic development and product cycles (and thus the need to introduce new economic activities to the region); and the regional, national, and international constraints on local economic-development initiatives. "Choice"

Much has been written concerning the erosion of the industrial base in this particular region and other areas of the country. Drawing heavily upon contributions from nationally recognized experts on urban and regional development as well as input from nanacademic sources, the present volume uses Northeastern Ohio as a case study of older industrial areas suffering from economic repression. Among the topics discussed are the limits of traditional development, fiscal implications of industrial restructuring, and urban adaptibility. Particular cities are also examined in order to pinpoint development problems and to offer alternative paths to local progress.

Written by specialists in law and economics, this book studies the role of liability rules in an effort to illustrate the possible consequences of statutory tampering with them. The contributors explain how statutory and common law liability rules evolved, how they work in current practice, and how changes in rules can alter economic outcomes in significant and unintended ways. Although price theory is the primary analytical tool employed in the study, the contributors also provide a wealth of institutional detail intended to illuminate the structure and operation of forces at work when questions of product or service liability arise.

Throughout, the contributors focus on the effects of individual decision making: how incentives faced by individuals are affected by liability rules and how the collective actions of purposeful individuals working in private markets and through the political process affect social outcomes. Among the specific topics addressed are using liability rules to deter government takings, the impact of government liability on private risk avoidance, the allocation of product liability by market share, liability and environmental quality, the effects of the flammability rule, deposit insurance and the savings and loan fiasco, and the political debate over automobile air bags. The contributors conclude that attempts to remedy alleged defects in the common law by legislative edict are not well grounded. Ideal as supplemental reading for courses in business and government, this volume will also be of significant interest to students of law and economics.

Providing an empirical look at the Jamaican economy, this careful study examines the impact of the (International Monetary Fund) approach to economic management in the 1980s and compares it to the non-IMF policies of the 1970s. Opening with an overview of the structure of Jamaica's economy, the book discusses the results of the economic policies of the 1970s and 1980s. Demonstrating that Jamaica's income is among the most unequally distributed in the world, the author explores how the policies of various governments affected income distribution, focusing on whether non-IMF policies had a different effect than IMF policies. He concludes with a discussion of how inflation and fiscal policies influence particularly vulnerable groups, which include children, the elderly, and much of the labor force.

Strategic Interaction and Markets explores the theoretical richness of economic contexts such as product differentiation, strategic barriers to entry, and imperfect information, where economic agents act strategically taking into account the impact of their behaviour on competitors' behaviour and prices. This non-ideal form of competition is the standard result when competition is amongst a small number of agents. Designed as an ancillary text for graduate students, this book is an accessible introduction to the applications of a complex area of mathematical economics.

This report examines the causes of low productivity growth in Kazakhstan by combining an analysis of firm-level data and multiple policy drivers. It is the first work to analyze the micro-foundations of the total factor productivity in Kazakhstan and elaborating specific recommendations for boosting aggregate productivity growth.

A collective effort by American and North African scholars, this volume provides a comprehensive analysis of recent economic, social, and political events in North Africa. It shows how the Maghrebi states and societies are currently at a very important junction as they try to adjust to different ways of doing things in new regional and international orders. Using a political economy approach, the book focuses on a series of issues raised by the interaction between economic crisis and reform on the one hand, and political change or stagnation on the other. The author and his contributors provide a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of particular value to scholars and researchers of the Arab world in general and North Africa in particular.

Business cycle theory has been one of the fastest growing fields in modern nonlinear economic dynamics. The book is centered around models of multiplier-accelerator type, emerging from Samuelson's seminal work, later developed into nonlinear formats by Hicks and Goodwin. These models left open ends, as the tools then available did not permit more systematic analysis. The present situation is different, due to the emergence of new methods also focusing global analysis. The focus on classical, causal or recursive models implies a deviation from current main stream business cycle theory, based on "rational expectations," which in view of the possibility of mathematical chaos becomes untenable. This book is a rejoinder to Puu and Sushko, Oligopoly Dynamics - Models and Tools, (Springer 2002).

Corporate social responsibility is examined in this book as multi-stakeholder approach to corporate governance. This volume outlines neo-institutional and stakeholder theories of the firm, new rational choice and social contract normative models, self regulatory and soft law models, and the advances from behavioural economics.

The process of globalization can be seen in the increase of: trade interdependence, the importance of global multinational corporations, mobility and volatility of capital flows (with dangers demonstrated by the recent Mexican crisis). This globalization creates both dangers and new opportunities, both winners and losers. The parallel growth of regional blocs is equally hazardous, particularly for countries left outside the regional blocs. The book, with contributions by eminent experts, describes the impact of both globalization and regionalization and the relationship between these two dominant trends.

This book explores the relationship between the location of the firm, the location of its markets and suppliers, and the inventory holding behaviour of the firm. Space costs and time costs are manifested in inventory costs. The examination of these inventory costs allows new insights into the reasons for observed industrial location behaviour. In particular, we see that transport costs are only a small part of total distance costs, and that the values of the goods being shipped and the value-added by the firm, are crucial location determinants. This approach is then extended to an analysis of Just-In-Time (JIT) production.

Can policy makers achieve national security goals through economic tools? Can state conflicts be fought out in economic battlefields? How do you stabilize and rebuild a country recently defeated in military combat? Can security aims be accomplished using economic policy tools--tools short of military action? National security questions are fundamentally economic. National governments have at their disposal many economic instruments used for national security such as economic sanctions and foreign aid, international trade, international finance and efforts to attack the sources of funding for international terrorism. This book examines the economic policies at available to a head of state and addresses how best to measure the success of these tools. Detailed case studies throughout the book allow readers to understand the decision-making process and how to craft policies designed to influence specific outcomes. The book surveys policies currently used as well as those that may not be appreciated for their national security application. The first part of the book gives an overview of basic analytical tools. It examines microeconomics applied to international "actors": autocrats and leaders in democracies. The second part looks at the "arsenal" of economic tools: sanctions, aid, finance, trade, courts, etc. Case studies are examined to provide a way forward in tackling the war on terrorism.

This work considers the potential effects of competition in the natural gas pipeline industry. Contrary to published studies and government reports, this study concludes that federal regulation in the industry is no longer necessary to limit the market power of current pipeline suppliers. Rather, potential entry by nearby suppliers--a competitive factor largely ignored in most economic analyses--will promote competition in most major markets. The purpose of the work is two-fold: to quantify the competitive effect of potential market entry by natural gas suppliers; and to demonstrate that any industry analysis which fails to consider this competitive factor is likely to be in error.

This compilation and analysis of market-by-market data on current deliveries by pipeline, location of nearby deliveries, and location of nearby pipelines which make no deliveries will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and industry analysts concerned with competitive, antitrust, and regulatory issues.

The book is the culmination of a research effort which spanned all continents and involved a large number of research teams from both the industrialised and developing countries. The book addresses a number of key issues related to technology transfer by small and medium-sized enterprises most especially whether such companies are more effective transferors than larger transnational corporations. A key aspect of the research was the fact that firms in source and host countries were matched to assure a degree of consistency in the firm coverage and their responses.

This modern day rags-to-riches story tells how one of the poorest nations in the world evolved into one of the most technologically advanced. How did South Korea do it? The miracle' that occurred in South Korea was produced, in essence, by military men, many of whom had undergone extensive managerial training in the United States in the preceding decade, who gave marching orders' to a responsive populace. "Marching Orders," a historically factual, yet fast-paced and dramatic page turner, ' chronicles, in five parts, the history and events that led to General Park Chung Hee's 1961 coup d'etat and the transformations in Korean society that followed it during the next decade. Part One surveys Korea prior to 1961--a deprived colony during the Japanese occupation, then a war-devastated, barely industrialized nation whose existence depended heavily on U.S. economic aid. Part Two analyzes the military establishment--a crucial factor in Korea's economic prosperity even today. The military takeover of 1961 and the subsequent establishment of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction (SCNR) were the turning points for this politically and economically bankrupt nation. These events led to the massive changes which are detailed in Parts Three and Four along with the rationalization' of the political sphere and the various aspects of economic rationalization, ' including the now-famous New Village Movement, a model of agricultural development for other emerging nations. In Part Five, the role and potential of the military in national development are explained and South Korea is presented as a success story. Indeed, Marching Orders could well serve as a How To' book for emerging countries.

Highly readable, "Marching Orders" has been written for the generalist without sacrificing scholarship. It will also prove useful to specialists in sociology, political science, economics, and Southeast Asia; to entrepreneurs engaged in trade with South Korea; and to those interested in Third World Development. An excellent addition to the reading lists of courses in development, comparative history, and military-civil cooperation.