CERAS is conducting research programs in various fields of theoretical and empirical economics, and more specifically :
Rationality and learning in game theory
Equilibrium and market strategies
Auctions, mechanisms and public procurement
Regulation, political economy and corruption
Location of activities, local interactions and urban economics
Mobility, geography and labor market
International / inter-regional macroeconomics
Miscellaneous
Rationality and learning in game
theory
This line of work aims at relaxing the hypothesis of full rationality of agents. It covers
the psychological foundations of choice and decision theory, alternative approaches to the
formation of beliefs and learning models. To illustrate :
Billot, Theory and
Decision, 2002
Jehiel, Review of
Economic Studies, 2001
Laslier-Topol-Walliser, Games
& Economic Behavior, 2001
Walliser, L'économie
cognitive, Odile Jacob, 2000
Equilibrium and market strategies
This field is analyzed along two routes. First, general equilibrium heory and its
applications; second, standard industrial economics, imperfect competition and collusive
behavior. To illustrate :
Balasko, Journal
of Economic Theory, 2002
Compte, Journal of
Economic Theory, 2002 a & b
Caillaud-Jullien, Euroepan
Economic Review, 2001
Balasko, Economic Theory,
forthcoming
Auctions, mechanisms and public
procurement
Under this heading, much work is devoted to the analysis of situations of market design,
in particular through auctions and other competitive mechanisms, with a spcial concern
with the possibility of collusive behavior and corruption. To illustrate :
Compte-Jéhiel, Econometrica,
2002
Jéhiel-Moldovanu, Econometrica,
2001
Lambert-Picard, Topics in
Theoretical Economics (BEPress), 2002
Jéhiel-Scotchmer, Review
of Economic Studies, 2001
Regulation, political economy and
corruption
This field is devoted to contract theory, broadly defined, as a fundamental tool to
understand organizations, such as corporate firms and their governance structures, or
public enterprises, as well political institutions, social norms and organizational mode.
To illustrate:
Caillaud-Tirole, Journal
of Public Economics, forthcoming
Caillaud-Tirole, Quarterly
Journal of Economics, 2002
Quinet-Henry, Service
public et concurrence, LHarmattan, 2002
Pouyet-Laffont, Journal of
Public Economics, forthcoming
Location of activities, local
interactions and urban economics
The emphasis is put on agglomeration factors and decentralization forces in the choice
of location of production activities, as well as on the role of infrastructures. On
a more general level, aggregate economic phenomena can be usefully approached using the
methods and models of local interaction. To illustrate :
Combes-Linnemer, Regional
Science and Urban Economics, 2000
Combes-Lafourcade, Revue
économique, forthcoming
Thisse -Fujita, Economics
of Agglomeration, Cambridge University Press, 2002
Martin-Ottaviano, International
Economic Review, 2001
Mobility and local labor markets
The link between economic geography and labor economics has made possible a more precise
analysis of unemployment problems, public policy to be implemented, and other key ideas of
urban planning and land development. To illustrate :
Combes, Journal of
Urban Economics, 2000
Thisse-Zenou-Hamilton, Journal
of Labor Economics, 2000
Fugazza-Jacques, Journal
of Public Economics, forthcoming
Thoenig-Thesmar, Quarterly
Journal of Economics, 2000
International / inter-regional
macroeconomics
The analysis of international trade patterns is a key step towards understanding
globalization. It lies at the basis of the study of determinants of convergence /
divergence in growth rates among countries or regions. This field also covers
international monetary and financial issues. To illustrate :
Thoenig-Verdier, American
Economic Review, forthcoming
Martin-Loisel, Journal of
International Economics, 2001
Mayer-Head-Ries, Economica,
forthcoming
Mayer-Head-Ries, Journal
of Economics and Management Strategy, forthcoming
Mayer-Head, Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv (Review of World Economics)
Miscellaneous
P.P. Combes and L. Linnemer (LEI) have developped an important work on the evaluation of
scientific production in economics (Annales of Economics and Statistics, 2001).
In collaboration with CNRS and the Ministry of Research, they propose a methodology to
measure researchers’ activities and to determine a ranking of research centers, based
on publication records and citation indices.
