Indivisibilities, Lotteries, and Monetary Exchange

Berentsen, Aleksander and Molico, Miguel and Wright, Randall (2002): Indivisibilities, Lotteries, and Monetary Exchange. Published in: Journal of Economic Theory , Vol. 1, No. 107 (November 2002): pp. 70-94.

Abstract

We introduce lotteries (randomized trading) into search-theoretic models of money. In a model with indivisible goods and fiat money, we show goods trade with probability 1 and money trades with probability τ, where τ<1 iff buyers have sufficient bargaining power. With divisible goods, a nonrandom quantity q trades with probability 1 and, again, money trades with probability τ where τ<1 iff buyers have sufficient bargaining power. Moreover, q never exceeds the efficient quantity (not true without lotteries). We consider several extensions designed to get commodities as well as money to trade with probability less than 1, and to illuminate the efficiency role of lotteries.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Monetary Exchange, Monetary Economics, Indivisibilities
• Subjects: E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E4 - Money and Interest Rates; E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E5 - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit

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