chapter thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-One

Exchange

Exchange Two consumers, A and B. Their endowments of goods 1 and 2

E.g. The total quantities available

A A A( , )1 2 B B B( , ).1 2and

A ( , )6 4 B ( , ).2 2and

1 1 6 2 8A B

2 2 4 2 6A B

units of good 1units of good 2.and

Exchange

Edgeworth and Bowley devised a diagram, called an Edgeworth box, to show all possible allocations of the available quantities of goods 1 and 2 between the two consumers.

Starting an Edgeworth Box

Width = 1 1 6 2 8A B

Height = 2 24 26

Width = 1 1 6 2 8A B

Height = 2 24 26

The dimensions ofthe box are thequantities availableof the goods.

Feasible Allocations What allocations of the 8 units of

good 1 and the 6 units of good 2 are feasible?

How can all of the feasible allocations be depicted by the Edgeworth box diagram?

Feasible Allocations What allocations of the 8 units of

good 1 and the 6 units of good 2 are feasible?

How can all of the feasible allocations be depicted by the Edgeworth box diagram?

One feasible allocation is the before-trade allocation; i.e. the endowment allocation.

Width = 1 1 6 2 8A B

Height = 2 24 26

The endowmentallocation is A ( , )6 4

B ( , ).2 2and

The Endowment Allocation

Width = 1 1 6 2 8A B

Height = 2 24 26

A ( , )6 4B ( , )2 2

A ( , )6 4OA

8B ( , )2 2

A ( , )6 4OA

B ( , )2 2

2The Endowment Allocation

A ( , )6 4B ( , )2 2

Theendowmentallocation

More generally, …

Theendowmentallocation

1 1A B

Other Feasible Allocations denotes an allocation to

consumer A. denotes an allocation to

consumer B. An allocation is feasible if and only if

( , )x xA A1 2

( , )x xB B1 2

x xA B A B1 1 1 1

x xA B A B2 2 2 2 .and

Feasible Reallocations

1 1A B

All points in the box, including the boundary, represent feasible allocations of the combined endowments.

Which allocations will be blocked by one or both consumers?

Which allocations make both consumers better off?

Adding Preferences to the Box

For consumer A.

More preferred

For consumer A.

For consumer B.

Adding Preferences to the BoxxB2

More preferred

For consumer B.

More preferred

For consumer B. OB

For consumer A.

Edgeworth’s Box

Pareto-Improvement

An allocation of the endowment that improves the welfare of a consumer without reducing the welfare of another is a Pareto-improving allocation.

Where are the Pareto-improving allocations?

Edgeworth’s Box

Pareto-Improvements

The set of Pareto-improving allocations

Pareto-Improvements

Since each consumer can refuse to trade, the only possible outcomes from exchange are Pareto-improving allocations.

But which particular Pareto-improving allocation will be the outcome of trade?

Pareto-Improvements

The set of Pareto-improving reallocations

Pareto-Improvements

Tradeimproves bothA’s and B’s welfares.This is a Pareto-improvementover the endowment allocation.

Pareto-ImprovementsNew mutual gains-to-trade region is the set of all further Pareto- improving reallocations.

Tradeimproves bothA’s and B’s welfares.This is a Pareto-improvementover the endowment allocation.

Pareto-ImprovementsFurther trade cannot improve both A and B’s welfares.

Pareto-Optimality

Better forconsumer B

Better forconsumer A

Pareto-OptimalityA is strictly better off but B is strictly worse off

B is strictly betteroff but A is strictlyworse off

Both A andB are worseoff

Both Aand B are worse off

Both A andB are worseoff

Pareto-Optimality

The allocation isPareto-optimal since theonly way one consumer’swelfare can be increased is todecrease the welfare of the otherconsumer.

Pareto-Optimality

The allocation isPareto-optimal since theonly way one consumer’swelfare can be increased is todecrease the welfare of the otherconsumer.

An allocation where convexindifference curves are “only just back-to-back” is Pareto-optimal.

Pareto-Optimality

Where are all of the Pareto-optimal allocations of the endowment?

Pareto-Optimality

All the allocations marked bya are Pareto-optimal.

Pareto-Optimality

The contract curve is the set of all Pareto-optimal allocations.

Pareto-Optimality

All the allocations marked bya are Pareto-optimal.

The contract curve

Pareto-Optimality

But to which of the many allocations on the contract curve will consumers trade?

That depends upon how trade is conducted.

In perfectly competitive markets? By one-on-one bargaining?

The Core

The set of Pareto-improving reallocations

The Core

Pareto-optimal trades blocked by B

Pareto-optimal trades blocked by A

The Core

Pareto-optimal trades not blocked by A or B

The Core

Pareto-optimal trades not blocked by A or B are the core.

The Core The core is the set of all Pareto-

optimal allocations that are welfare-improving for both consumers relative to their own endowments.

Rational trade should achieve a core allocation.

The Core

But which core allocation? Again, that depends upon the

manner in which trade is conducted.

Trade in Competitive Markets

Consider trade in perfectly competitive markets.

Each consumer is a price-taker trying to maximize her own utility given p1, p2 and her own endowment. That is, ...

For consumer A.p x p x p pA A A A1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2

So given p1 and p2, consumer A’s net demands for commodities 1 and 2 are

x A A1 1* x A A

2 2* . and

And, similarly, for consumer B …

For consumer B.

OB x B1*

p x p x p pB B B B1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2

So given p1 and p2, consumer B’s net demands for commodities 1 and 2 are

x B B1 1* x B B

2 2* . and

A general equilibrium occurs when prices p1 and p2 cause both the markets for commodities 1 and 2 to clear; i.e.

x xA B A B1 1 1 1* *

x xA B A B2 2 2 2* * . and

Can this PO allocation beachieved?

Budget constraint for consumer A

Budget constraint for consumer B

But x xA B A B1 1 1 1* *

and x xA B A B2 2 2 2* *

So at the given prices p1 and p2 there is an– excess supply of commodity 1– excess demand for commodity 2.

Neither market clears so the prices p1 and p2 do not cause a general equilibrium.

So this PO allocation cannot beachieved by competitive trading.

Which PO allocations can beachieved by competitive trading?

Since there is an excess demand for commodity 2, p2 will rise.

Since there is an excess supply of commodity 1, p1 will fall.

The slope of the budget constraints is - p1/p2 so the budget constraints will pivot about the endowment point and become less steep.

So x xA B A B1 1 1 1* *

and x xA B A B2 2 2 2* *

Trade in Competitive Markets At the new prices p1 and p2 both

markets clear; there is a general equilibrium.

Trading in competitive markets achieves a particular Pareto-optimal allocation of the endowments.

This is an example of the First Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics.

First Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics

Given that consumers’ preferences are well-behaved, trading in perfectly competitive markets implements a Pareto-optimal allocation of the economy’s endowment.

Second Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics

The First Theorem is followed by a second that states that any Pareto-optimal allocation (i.e. any point on the contract curve) can be achieved by trading in competitive markets provided that endowments are first appropriately rearranged amongst the consumers.

Given that consumers’ preferences are well-behaved, for any Pareto-optimal allocation there are prices and an allocation of the total endowment that makes the Pareto-optimal allocation implementable by trading in competitive markets.

Second Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics

Second Fundamental Theorem

The contract curve

A*2x B*

Implemented by competitivetrading from the endowment .

Can this allocation be implementedby competitive trading from ?

Can this allocation be implementedby competitive trading from ? No.

Second Fundamental TheoremxA2

But this allocation is implementedby competitive trading from q.

Walras’ Law

Walras’ Law is an identity; i.e. a statement that is true for any positive prices (p1,p2), whether these are equilibrium prices or not.

Walras’ Law Every consumer’s preferences are

well-behaved so, for any positive prices (p1,p2), each consumer spends all of his budget.

For consumer A:

For consumer B:p x p x p pA A A A1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2* *

p x p x p pB B B B1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2* *

Walras’ Law

p x p x p pA A A A1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2* *

p x p x p pB B B B1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2* *

p x x p x x

A B A B

A B B B1 1 1 2 2 2

1 1 1 2 2 2

( ) ( )

( ) ( ).

* * * *

Summing gives

Walras’ Law

p x x p x x

A B A B

A B B B1 1 1 2 2 2

1 1 1 2 2 2

( ) ( )

( ) ( ).

* * * *

Rearranged,p x x

A B A B

A B A B1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 0

That is, ...

Walras’ Law

.0)xx(p

)xx(pB2

This says that the summed marketvalue of excess demands is zero forany positive prices p1 and p2 -- this is Walras’ Law.

Implications of Walras’ Law

0)xx(p

)xx(pB2

Suppose the market for commodity Ais in equilibrium; that is,

.0xx B1

implies.0xx B

So one implication of Walras’ Law fora two-commodity exchange economyis that if one market is in equilibriumthen the other market must also be inequilibrium.

Implications of Walras’ LawWhat if, for some positive prices p1 andp2, there is an excess quantity suppliedof commodity 1? That is,

.0xx B1

0)xx(p

)xx(pB2

implies.0xx B

So a second implication of Walras’ Lawfor a two-commodity exchange economyis that an excess supply in one marketimplies an excess demand in the othermarket.

chapter thirty-one

trade allocation

box oafor consumer

edgeworth box diagram

possible allocations

preferredfor consumer

units of good

dimensions ofthe box

particular pareto

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