Uncertainty and Endogenous Selection of Economic Equilibria

This paper presents a model of coordination failures based on market power and local oligopoly. The economy exhibits a multiplicity of Pareto-ranked equilibria. The introduction of uncertainty generates an endogenous equilibrium selection process, due to a strategic use of information by firms. The economy is more likely to settle on some equilibria than on others. We argue that a full understanding of these robustness criteria is needed before any policy which is intended to help coordinate the level of activity to a Pareto-dominant outcome can be successfully implemented