This paper demonstrates how the transformation of the taxi industry is an example of Coase’s Theorem in practice. The Coase Theorem, as postulated by Nobel Laureate Ronald Coase (1991), is one of the simplest yet profound ideas in economics. The recent advent of new mobile app entrants in the...

This paper explores the extent to which the presence of ex-ante transaction costs may lead to failures of the Coase Theorem. In particular we identify and investigate the basic ‘hold-up problem’ which arises whenever the parties to a Coasian negotiation have to pay some ex-ante costs for the...

When there are three parties, it is well known that the Coase Theorem may not hold even when there are no transaction costs, due to the emptiness of the core of the corresponding cooperative game [Aivazian and Callen (1981)]. We show that the standard Coasean bargaining game involving three...

When there are three parties, instability problems brought about by the emptiness of the core of the corresponding cooperative game may cause the Coase Theorem to fail, even when other more direct impediments to bargaining are low. We show that the standard Coasean bargaining game involving...

This paper presents a general equilibrium analysis of economic efficiency under externalities, transaction costs and non-convexity. It applies to market exchange as well as contractual arrangements. We show that the Coase theorem continues to hold under general conditions: the efficient...