Planning under Incomplete Information and the Ratchet Effect

S-Tier
Journal: Review of Economic Studies
Year: 1985
Volume: 52
Issue: 2
Pages: 173-191

Authors (3)

Xavier Freixas (not in RePEc) Roger Guesnerie (not in RePEc) Jean Tirole (Toulouse School of Economics (...)

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Central planning of production is usually performed under asymmetric information which leads to use of an incentive scheme. As the planner revises the scheme over time to take into account information provided by the firm's performance, this induces firms to underproduce to avoid more demanding schedules in the future—the ratchet effect. This paper explores this phenomenon under the realistic assumption that the planner cannot commit himself to a revision procedure. We show that the ratchet effect exists, in the sense that the planner may choose a scheme which is suboptimal from a static viewpoint in order to induce revelation, with the marginal price of output exceeding its optimal static value.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:restud:v:52:y:1985:i:2:p:173-191.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25