Most economic models implicitly or explicitly assume that interactions between economic agents are 'global' - in other words, each agent interacts in a uniform manner with every other agent. However, localized interactions between microeconomic agents are a pervasive feature of reality. What are...

In this paper we use a differential game analysis to study the dynamic strategic interaction between a criminal gang extorting money from local shop-owners and the local police force. In particular, we are interested in characterizing which factors are important in determining whether the...

This paper investigates the interplay of investment irreversibility, predatory behavior, and limited liability in a duopoly with aggregate demand uncertainty. We find that limited liability and investment irreversibility is likely to produce predatory behavior in very competitive industries in...

In this paper, we examine net investment during the early stages of transition using micro data on the population of medium and large industrial firms in the Czech Republic during the 1992-95 period. We examine the relevance of alternative models of investment and test if investment behavior...

This paper analyzes the impact of different types of barriers on the decision to invest using a simple framework based on stochastic discount factors. Our intuitive approach proposes an alternative to the real options methodology that does not rely on the “smooth-pasting condition.” An...

This paper presents a model where agents decide on the timing of replacement of ageing machines. The optimal replacement policy for an agent is influenced by other agents' decisions because the productivity of a particular vintage displays network externalities that set in with a lag. In...

The paper examines the interpretation of firms' investment-cash flow sensitivity as an artifact of financial market imperfection. Two alternative explanations of the financial constraints are compared. One is based on informational problems (asymmetric information). The other focuses on limited...

This paper documents the delayed adoption of a major technological innovation: the adoption of the diesel locomotive in the US railway industry. Contrary to other instances of major technological innovations, the delay in the adoption of the diesel locomotive was not associated with an initial...

The paper analyzes investment behavior of industrial enterprises in the period immediately following price and foreign trade liberalization in the Czech Republic. It also focuses on the effect of Asoft@ macroeconomic environment on the microeconomic decisions. A dynamic investment function with...

We evaluate the impact of bank loans and start-up subsidies on the survival of the new firms. This work relies on the SINE94 survey that provides rich information on the entrepreneurs and their start-up projects. We use the propensity score matching methodology, in the case of multiple...