Joao Gata - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Joao Gata
ERBE- European Review of Business Economics, 2021
Air transport has increased almost fifteen-fold worldwide in the last half-century (1970-2019) an... more Air transport has increased almost fifteen-fold worldwide in the last half-century (1970-2019) and is expected to return to this trend in the next few years, after falling from 4.558 billion passengers in 2019 to 1.809 billion passengers in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Airport capacity has not kept pace with such growth and, therefore, more than two hundred major airports worldwide face capacity constraints and are "coordinated". Efficient allocation of scarce airport capacity is critical for air traffic growth, as well as for the overall air transport dynamic efficiency. However, the allocation of airport slots in Europe and elsewhere is still ruled by administrative processes, based on the IATA Worldwide Slot Guidelines, which follow historical precedence (called "Grandfather Rights") and time adjustments of historical slots. Several objections have been raised to the adoption of market mechanisms in slot allocation, as an alternative to administrative processes, and they are still rarely used. Despite often being suggested in the literature, the use of auctions for slot allocation has only been implemented in some local routes in China, and apparently this underemployment of auction mechanisms has been due to the reluctance of coordination authorities to face the risks that have been pointed out regarding airlines' long-term route planning, the usage costs related to excess slots, origin-destination pairing, and competition distortions. However, scoring auctions have never been considered and our research shows that their properties combined with an appropriate auction design could overcome most of those objections and mitigate the associated risks. Furthermore, the current drop in air traffic provides an opportune window for the introduction of auctions as a mechanism for the allocation of airport slots with minimal risks of disruption to airline business models.
Social Science Research Network, 2023
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2004
We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model t... more We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model the attempts by the Califormia Air Resources Board (CARB) in getting car manufacturers to comply with its phase-in of stringent emissions standards. After CARB chooses an initial emissions standard that firms are required to comply with, automakers respond by choosing R&D investment and production levels which provide CARB an imperfect signal whether they are more or less capable of complying with the standard. CARB resets the environmental standard and the firms once again choose research and production levels. Firms are Cournot duopolists in the product market and can choose to do research noncooperatively or cooperatively in the presence of spillovers. We show that firms will behave strategically and underinvest in research both under competitive and cooperative R&D, though the level of underinvestment-the ratchet effect-is greater under cooperative R&D when spillovers are large. We uncover a fundamental conflict between the incentives of firms to do cooperative research and social welfare: that firms will want to engage in cooperative (resp. noncooperative) R&D only when spillovers are low (resp. high) while social welfare is greater under noncooperative (resp. cooperative) research.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2002
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2006
We compare different notions of stability in three firm merger games. We discuss some of their sh... more We compare different notions of stability in three firm merger games. We discuss some of their shortcomings and introduce an alternative notion of stability which overcomes them. The paper concludes with an illustrative example.
Nação e Defesa, Jul 1, 2004
Mar na Educação da Juventude Admitindo que seria útil para os objectivos deste seminário dar um d... more Mar na Educação da Juventude Admitindo que seria útil para os objectivos deste seminário dar um determinado contributo, ainda que breve, para as questões que são objecto de reflexão nesta sessão, começaria por informar a distinta audiência que tal contributo se vai centrar num elemento fundamental da identidade nacional portuguesa, cuja importância se tornou evidente através dos oito séculos da nossa História, mas que infelizmente, durante os dois últimos séculos, foi alvo de extensos períodos de desatenção, com reconhecidas consequências negativas no poder nacional. Durante esses períodos ele foi frequentemente mais tratado no campo das promessas e das boas intenções do que propriamente no campo das acções concretas. Refiro-me, como V.Ex.as certamente já adivinharam, ao MAR. Não são necessárias largas e profundas análises históricas para se constatar que a relevância de Portugal no Mundo e a sua maior ou menor capacidade de intervenção ou de imposição da sua vontade na cena mundial, estiveram sempre estreitamente correlacionadas com a sua capacidade de dispor e de exercer o domínio do mar, quer autonomamente, quer através de políticas de aliança com as potências marítimas que melhor pudessem servir os seus próprios interesses. O mar constituiu, sem dúvida, o grande potencial de que a Nação soube, de forma pioneira na Europa, tirar o necessário partido para a sua ascensão a uma dimensão imperial. Sem a sua intensa, ambiciosa e ousada exploração pelos portugueses que a tão abnegada tarefa se dedicaram, com a conhecida determinação que a História nos ensinou, não haveria hoje um espaço lusófono com mais de 200 milhões de almas! Mas para isso contribuiu, de forma decisiva, a visão esclarecida e a vontade férrea de fortes lideranças políticas e militares, de que são conhecidos paradigmas, entre vários outros, as insignes
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Jun 1, 2000
In this paper we analyze sanctioning policies in international law. We develop a model of interna... more In this paper we analyze sanctioning policies in international law. We develop a model of international military conflict where the conflicting countries can be a target of international sanctions. These sanctions constitute an equilibrium outcome of an international political market for sanctions, where different countries trade political influence. We show that the level of sanctions in equilibrium is strictly positive but limited, in the sense that higher sanctions would exacerbate the military conflict, not reduce it. We then propose an alternative interpretation to the perceived lack of effectiveness of international sanctions, by showing that the problem might not be one of undersanctioning but of oversanctioning.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2001
Abstract Current historiography on the European decolonization processes has developed no general... more Abstract Current historiography on the European decolonization processes has developed no general theory of these processes, but is rather a collection of case-based studies. Moreover, there is no consideration for counter-factual possibilities, including the analysis of those cases where independence has not occurred. In this paper we aim at constructing a rational theory approach to decolonization that can encompass the majority of historical cases. Our rational theory is constructed by considering the possible convergence, or ...
e-Competitions Bulletin, May 3, 2011
The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portugue... more The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portuguese Government reached an agreement with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the…
The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portugue... more The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portuguese Government reached an agreement with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the…
Defence and peace economics, Jul 1, 1999
By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be h... more By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be harmful to the conflicting parties. In fact, under anarchy both parties can be better off than under an international regime if mediation reduces the parties' reactive capacities (ie their abilites to respond to an aggression). This result is applied to issues currently discussed in the literature on international relations such as the role of the United Nations as a mediator of international conflicts.
European review of Business Economics, 2021
Algorithms play an increasingly important role in economic activity, as they become faster and sm... more Algorithms play an increasingly important role in economic activity, as they become faster and smarter. Together with the increasing use of ever larger data sets, they may lead to significant changes in the way markets work. These developments have raised concerns not only over the right to privacy and consumers' autonomy, but also on competition. Infringements of antitrust laws involving the use of algorithms have occurred in the past. However, current concerns are of a different nature as they relate to the role algorithms can play as facilitators of collusive behavior in repeated games, and the role increasingly sophisticated algorithms can play as autonomous implementers of firms' strategies, as they learn to collude without any explicit instructions provided by human agents. In particular, it is recognized that the use of 'learning algorithms' can facilitate tacit collusion and lead to an increased blurring of borders between tacit and explicit collusion. Several authors who have addressed the possibilities for achieving tacit collusion equilibrium outcomes by algorithms interacting autonomously, have also considered some form of ex-ante assessment and regulation over the type of algorithms used by firms. By using well-known results in the theory of computation, I show that such option faces serious challenges to its effectiveness due to undecidability results. Ex-post assessment may be constrained as well. Notwithstanding several challenges faced by current software testing methodologies, competition law enforcement and policy have much to gain from an interdisciplinary collaboration with computer science and mathematics.
The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portugue... more The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portuguese Government reached an agreement with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the…
We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model t... more We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model the attempts by the Califormia Air Resources Board (CARB) in getting car manufacturers to comply with its phase-in of stringent emissions standards. After CARB chooses an initial emissions standard that ?rms are required to comply with, automakers respond by choosing R&D investment and production levels which provide CARB an imperfect signal whether they are more or less capable of complying with the standard. CARB resets the environmental standard and the ?rms once again choose research and production levels. Firms are Cournot duopolists in the product market and can choose to do research noncooperatively or cooperatively in the presence of spillovers. We show that ?rms will behave strategically and underinvest in research both under competitive and cooperative R&D, though the level of underinvestment — the ratchet effect — is greater under cooperative R&D when spillovers are large. We u...
Defence and Peace Economics, 1999
By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be h... more By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be harmful to the conflicting parties. In fact, under anarchy both parties can be better off than under an international regime if mediation reduces the parties' reactive capacities (ie their abilites to respond to an aggression). This result is applied to issues currently discussed in the literature on international relations such as the role of the United Nations as a mediator of international conflicts.
A Sessão II prende-se com o papel da Educação da Juventude em termos de Nacionalidade, Economia e... more A Sessão II prende-se com o papel da Educação da Juventude em termos de Nacionalidade, Economia e Defesa. Foram convidados a participar com as suas reflexões Instituições Políticas, Instituições de Defesa Militar e Civil e dos Sistemas Económico, Social e Cultural.
ERBE- European Review of Business Economics, 2021
Air transport has increased almost fifteen-fold worldwide in the last half-century (1970-2019) an... more Air transport has increased almost fifteen-fold worldwide in the last half-century (1970-2019) and is expected to return to this trend in the next few years, after falling from 4.558 billion passengers in 2019 to 1.809 billion passengers in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Airport capacity has not kept pace with such growth and, therefore, more than two hundred major airports worldwide face capacity constraints and are "coordinated". Efficient allocation of scarce airport capacity is critical for air traffic growth, as well as for the overall air transport dynamic efficiency. However, the allocation of airport slots in Europe and elsewhere is still ruled by administrative processes, based on the IATA Worldwide Slot Guidelines, which follow historical precedence (called "Grandfather Rights") and time adjustments of historical slots. Several objections have been raised to the adoption of market mechanisms in slot allocation, as an alternative to administrative processes, and they are still rarely used. Despite often being suggested in the literature, the use of auctions for slot allocation has only been implemented in some local routes in China, and apparently this underemployment of auction mechanisms has been due to the reluctance of coordination authorities to face the risks that have been pointed out regarding airlines' long-term route planning, the usage costs related to excess slots, origin-destination pairing, and competition distortions. However, scoring auctions have never been considered and our research shows that their properties combined with an appropriate auction design could overcome most of those objections and mitigate the associated risks. Furthermore, the current drop in air traffic provides an opportune window for the introduction of auctions as a mechanism for the allocation of airport slots with minimal risks of disruption to airline business models.
Social Science Research Network, 2023
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2004
We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model t... more We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model the attempts by the Califormia Air Resources Board (CARB) in getting car manufacturers to comply with its phase-in of stringent emissions standards. After CARB chooses an initial emissions standard that firms are required to comply with, automakers respond by choosing R&D investment and production levels which provide CARB an imperfect signal whether they are more or less capable of complying with the standard. CARB resets the environmental standard and the firms once again choose research and production levels. Firms are Cournot duopolists in the product market and can choose to do research noncooperatively or cooperatively in the presence of spillovers. We show that firms will behave strategically and underinvest in research both under competitive and cooperative R&D, though the level of underinvestment-the ratchet effect-is greater under cooperative R&D when spillovers are large. We uncover a fundamental conflict between the incentives of firms to do cooperative research and social welfare: that firms will want to engage in cooperative (resp. noncooperative) R&D only when spillovers are low (resp. high) while social welfare is greater under noncooperative (resp. cooperative) research.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2002
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2006
We compare different notions of stability in three firm merger games. We discuss some of their sh... more We compare different notions of stability in three firm merger games. We discuss some of their shortcomings and introduce an alternative notion of stability which overcomes them. The paper concludes with an illustrative example.
Nação e Defesa, Jul 1, 2004
Mar na Educação da Juventude Admitindo que seria útil para os objectivos deste seminário dar um d... more Mar na Educação da Juventude Admitindo que seria útil para os objectivos deste seminário dar um determinado contributo, ainda que breve, para as questões que são objecto de reflexão nesta sessão, começaria por informar a distinta audiência que tal contributo se vai centrar num elemento fundamental da identidade nacional portuguesa, cuja importância se tornou evidente através dos oito séculos da nossa História, mas que infelizmente, durante os dois últimos séculos, foi alvo de extensos períodos de desatenção, com reconhecidas consequências negativas no poder nacional. Durante esses períodos ele foi frequentemente mais tratado no campo das promessas e das boas intenções do que propriamente no campo das acções concretas. Refiro-me, como V.Ex.as certamente já adivinharam, ao MAR. Não são necessárias largas e profundas análises históricas para se constatar que a relevância de Portugal no Mundo e a sua maior ou menor capacidade de intervenção ou de imposição da sua vontade na cena mundial, estiveram sempre estreitamente correlacionadas com a sua capacidade de dispor e de exercer o domínio do mar, quer autonomamente, quer através de políticas de aliança com as potências marítimas que melhor pudessem servir os seus próprios interesses. O mar constituiu, sem dúvida, o grande potencial de que a Nação soube, de forma pioneira na Europa, tirar o necessário partido para a sua ascensão a uma dimensão imperial. Sem a sua intensa, ambiciosa e ousada exploração pelos portugueses que a tão abnegada tarefa se dedicaram, com a conhecida determinação que a História nos ensinou, não haveria hoje um espaço lusófono com mais de 200 milhões de almas! Mas para isso contribuiu, de forma decisiva, a visão esclarecida e a vontade férrea de fortes lideranças políticas e militares, de que são conhecidos paradigmas, entre vários outros, as insignes
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Jun 1, 2000
In this paper we analyze sanctioning policies in international law. We develop a model of interna... more In this paper we analyze sanctioning policies in international law. We develop a model of international military conflict where the conflicting countries can be a target of international sanctions. These sanctions constitute an equilibrium outcome of an international political market for sanctions, where different countries trade political influence. We show that the level of sanctions in equilibrium is strictly positive but limited, in the sense that higher sanctions would exacerbate the military conflict, not reduce it. We then propose an alternative interpretation to the perceived lack of effectiveness of international sanctions, by showing that the problem might not be one of undersanctioning but of oversanctioning.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2001
Abstract Current historiography on the European decolonization processes has developed no general... more Abstract Current historiography on the European decolonization processes has developed no general theory of these processes, but is rather a collection of case-based studies. Moreover, there is no consideration for counter-factual possibilities, including the analysis of those cases where independence has not occurred. In this paper we aim at constructing a rational theory approach to decolonization that can encompass the majority of historical cases. Our rational theory is constructed by considering the possible convergence, or ...
e-Competitions Bulletin, May 3, 2011
The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portugue... more The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portuguese Government reached an agreement with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the…
The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portugue... more The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portuguese Government reached an agreement with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the…
Defence and peace economics, Jul 1, 1999
By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be h... more By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be harmful to the conflicting parties. In fact, under anarchy both parties can be better off than under an international regime if mediation reduces the parties' reactive capacities (ie their abilites to respond to an aggression). This result is applied to issues currently discussed in the literature on international relations such as the role of the United Nations as a mediator of international conflicts.
European review of Business Economics, 2021
Algorithms play an increasingly important role in economic activity, as they become faster and sm... more Algorithms play an increasingly important role in economic activity, as they become faster and smarter. Together with the increasing use of ever larger data sets, they may lead to significant changes in the way markets work. These developments have raised concerns not only over the right to privacy and consumers' autonomy, but also on competition. Infringements of antitrust laws involving the use of algorithms have occurred in the past. However, current concerns are of a different nature as they relate to the role algorithms can play as facilitators of collusive behavior in repeated games, and the role increasingly sophisticated algorithms can play as autonomous implementers of firms' strategies, as they learn to collude without any explicit instructions provided by human agents. In particular, it is recognized that the use of 'learning algorithms' can facilitate tacit collusion and lead to an increased blurring of borders between tacit and explicit collusion. Several authors who have addressed the possibilities for achieving tacit collusion equilibrium outcomes by algorithms interacting autonomously, have also considered some form of ex-ante assessment and regulation over the type of algorithms used by firms. By using well-known results in the theory of computation, I show that such option faces serious challenges to its effectiveness due to undecidability results. Ex-post assessment may be constrained as well. Notwithstanding several challenges faced by current software testing methodologies, competition law enforcement and policy have much to gain from an interdisciplinary collaboration with computer science and mathematics.
The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portugue... more The views expressed here are the authors' alone. 1. Introduction On May 3rd 2011 the Portuguese Government reached an agreement with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the…
We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model t... more We present a two-period dynamic model of standard setting under asymmetric information to model the attempts by the Califormia Air Resources Board (CARB) in getting car manufacturers to comply with its phase-in of stringent emissions standards. After CARB chooses an initial emissions standard that ?rms are required to comply with, automakers respond by choosing R&D investment and production levels which provide CARB an imperfect signal whether they are more or less capable of complying with the standard. CARB resets the environmental standard and the ?rms once again choose research and production levels. Firms are Cournot duopolists in the product market and can choose to do research noncooperatively or cooperatively in the presence of spillovers. We show that ?rms will behave strategically and underinvest in research both under competitive and cooperative R&D, though the level of underinvestment — the ratchet effect — is greater under cooperative R&D when spillovers are large. We u...
Defence and Peace Economics, 1999
By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be h... more By way of an evolutionary game model we show that mediation in international conflicts might be harmful to the conflicting parties. In fact, under anarchy both parties can be better off than under an international regime if mediation reduces the parties' reactive capacities (ie their abilites to respond to an aggression). This result is applied to issues currently discussed in the literature on international relations such as the role of the United Nations as a mediator of international conflicts.
A Sessão II prende-se com o papel da Educação da Juventude em termos de Nacionalidade, Economia e... more A Sessão II prende-se com o papel da Educação da Juventude em termos de Nacionalidade, Economia e Defesa. Foram convidados a participar com as suas reflexões Instituições Políticas, Instituições de Defesa Militar e Civil e dos Sistemas Económico, Social e Cultural.