Modelling cost complementarities in terms of joint production

• 成果类型: Article; Proceedings Paper
• 署名作者: Nehring, K; Puppe, C
• 署名单位: Helmholtz Association; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; University of California System; University of California Davis
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC THEORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0531
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2003.11.003
• 发表日期: 2004
• 页码: 252-264
• 关键词: cost functions; economies of scope; cost complementarities; Submodularity; conjugate Moebius inversion

摘要

Cost complementarities arise from synergies in the production of heterogeneous goods. It is shown that synergies can be accounted for in terms of shared public inputs (roughly) if and only if synergies decrease as the scope of production increases. This case of substitutive synergies is argued to be typical. The key technical tool is a novel interpretation of conjugate Moebius inversion in terms of higher-order differences. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.