This paper deals with volume of trade and distribution of surplus in markets subject to adverse selection. The benchmark case -- a variation of Akerlof's lemons model -- is that of a market where two qualities of a good are offered, in proportions such that, if a single price is required to...

The paper analyzes the dynamics of a resale market subject to adverse selection. Infinitely-lived agents deal in cars which last two periods. Car quality is exogenous and known only to sellers. I prove existence of steady-state equilibrium, then provide a full characterization: number of...

We characterize the optimal incentive scheme for a manager who faces costly effort decisions and whose ability to generate profits for the firm varies stochastically over time. The optimal contract is obtained as the solution to a dynamic mechanism design problem with hidden actions and...

I analyze a market in which a price-taking buyer buys a variable-quality good from a population of sellers, contrasting the case where quality is a seller's private information to that where it is public information. Average quality traded under private information can be either higher (quality...