Product Unbundling in the Travel Industry: The Economics of Airline Bag Fees

in Journal of Economics and Management Strategy (2015), 24(3), 457-484

This paper provides theory and evidence on airline bag fees, offering insights into a real-world case of product unbundling. The theory predicts that an airline’s fares should fall when it introduces a ... [more ▼]

This paper provides theory and evidence on airline bag fees, offering insights into a real-world case of product unbundling. The theory predicts that an airline’s fares should fall when it introduces a bag fee, but that the full-trip price (the bag fee plus the new fare) could either rise or fall. The empirical evidence presented in the paper provides strong confirmation of the first prediction. The data also suggest that the average fare falls by less than the bag fee itself so that the full price of a trip rises for passengers who choose to check bags. [less ▲]

Currency Areas and Voluntary Transfers

E-print/Working paper (2015)

This paper discusses the relationship between the formation of a currency area and the use of voluntary fiscal transfers between countries. We show that there is a trade off between the benefits of ... [more ▼]

This paper discusses the relationship between the formation of a currency area and the use of voluntary fiscal transfers between countries. We show that there is a trade off between the benefits of flexible exchange rates and the additional risk sharing benefits of voluntary transfers that can be sustained in a currency area. We show that whether a currency area is beneficial or not will depend on the magnitude of economic parameter values. In particular, we show that in a simple two country model and for a plausible set of economic parameter values, a currency area is optimal. [less ▲]

Is a Policy of Free Movemet of Workers Sustainable?

in Scandinavian Journal of Economics (2015)

This paper studies the costs and benefits of the adoption of the policy of free movement for workers. For the countries to agree on uncontrolled movement of workers, the short run costs must be outweighed ... [more ▼]

This paper studies the costs and benefits of the adoption of the policy of free movement for workers. For the countries to agree on uncontrolled movement of workers, the short run costs must be outweighed by the long term benefits that result from better labor market flexibility and income smoothing. We show that such policies are less likely to be adopted when workers are impatient and less risk averse workers, when production technologies display decreasing returns and when countries trade a share of their products. [less ▲]

Where and When to Invest in Infrastructure

in Regional Science and Urban Economics (2014)

This paper analyzes an irreversible “where-and-when” investment decision, in which a government must decide not only when to invest in income-increasing infrastructure but also where to make the ... [more ▼]

This paper analyzes an irreversible “where-and-when” investment decision, in which a government must decide not only when to invest in income-increasing infrastructure but also where to make the investment, doing so under imperfect observability of the investment gains. The two models considered in the paper differ in the source of the imperfection. In the signal model, the imperfection comes from imperfect observability of initial income gains from the investment, while in the option model, it comes from the stochastic nature of the income gains in the second period. In addition to providing the first treatment of this type of problem, the analysis shows that the influences of underlying parameters on whether or not the government waits to invest are similar in the two models. [less ▲]

Urban Spatial Structure, Employment

Presentation (2014, October)

We develop a model where workers both choose their residential location (geographical space) and social interactions (social space). In equilibrium, we show under which condition the majority group ... [more ▼]

We develop a model where workers both choose their residential location (geographical space) and social interactions (social space). In equilibrium, we show under which condition the majority group resides close to the job center while the minority group lives far away from it. Even though the two populations are ex ante totally identical, we find that the majority group experiences a lower unemployment rate than the minority group and tends to socially interact more with other workers of its own group. Within each group, we demonstrate that workers residing farther away from the job center tend to search less for a job and are less likely to be employed. This model is thus able to explain why ethnic minorities are segregated in the urban and social space and why this leads to adverse labor-market outcomes in the absence of any discrimination against the minority group. [less ▲]

Is a Policy of Free Movement of Workers Sustainable?

E-print/Working paper (2014)

This paper studies the costs and benefits of the adoption of the policy of free movement for workers. For the countries to agree on uncontrolled movement of workers, the short run costs must be outweighed ... [more ▼]

This paper studies the costs and benefits of the adoption of the policy of free movement for workers. For the countries to agree on uncontrolled movement of workers, the short run costs must be outweighed by the long term benefits that result from better labor market flexibility and income smoothing. We show that such policies are less likely to be adopted when workers are impatient and less risk averse workers, when production technologies display decreasing returns and when countries trade a share of their products. [less ▲]

Commodity taxation and regulatory competition

Presentation (2014, January)

This paper studies competition in regulation and commodity taxation between trading countries. We present a general equilibrium model in which destination based consumption taxes finance public goods ... [more ▼]

This paper studies competition in regulation and commodity taxation between trading countries. We present a general equilibrium model in which destination based consumption taxes finance public goods, while regulation of entry determines the number of firms in the markets. We find (i) no strategic interaction in commodity taxes; (ii) regulation leads to lower commodity tax rates if demand for public goods is more sensitive to income than demand for private goods and (iii) regulation policy is a strategically complement instrument if consumers do not over value product diversity. In the empirical part of the paper, we test our predictions using panel data for 21 OECD countries over the period 1990-2008. [less ▲]

On the impact of competition on trade and firm location

in Journal of Regional Science (2014)

We study how the level of trade costs and the intensity of competition interact to explain the nature and intensity of trade within a given industry and the location of firms across countries. As trade ... [more ▼]

We study how the level of trade costs and the intensity of competition interact to explain the nature and intensity of trade within a given industry and the location of firms across countries. As trade costs decrease from very high to very low values, the global economy moves from autarky to two-way trade, through one-way trade from the larger to the smaller region. By exploring the intensive and extensive margins of exports, we investigate how the intensity of trade reacts to the degree of competitiveness. Furthermore, when firms are free to change location, they flow from the small to the large country, and the larger country is always a net exported on the manufactured good. Firms located in the big country have a bigger size than those located in the small one. Under one-way trade, the relocation of firms changes their attitude toward export. [less ▲]

Commodity taxation and regulatory competition

Presentation (2013, November)

Trade, economic geography and the choice of product quality

Presentation (2013, October)