Learning and investment under demand uncertainty in container shipping.

This article investigates the role of demand uncertainty in explaining cyclical investment fluctuations in the container shipping industry. I develop and estimate a dynamic oligopoly model with learning in which firms choose investment and scrapping. In this model, firms are uncertain about the true...

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Published in:RAND Journal of Economics (Wiley-Blackwell) Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 226 - 260
Format: Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Mar2022
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Mar2022
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      tig:
        atl: Learning and investment under demand uncertainty in container shipping.
      aug:
      su:
        Shipping containers
        Container ships
        Maritime shipping
        Container industry
        Dynamic models
      sug:
        subj:
          Glass Container Manufacturing
          Deep sea, coastal and Great Lakes water transportation (except by ferries)
          Other Support Activities for Water Transportation
          Marine shipping agencies
          Navigational Services to Shipping
          Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing
          Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
          Shipping containers
          Container ships
          Maritime shipping
          Container industry
          Dynamic models
      ab: This article investigates the role of demand uncertainty in explaining cyclical investment fluctuations in the container shipping industry. I develop and estimate a dynamic oligopoly model with learning in which firms choose investment and scrapping. In this model, firms are uncertain about the true parameters in the underlying process for demand, and form and revise their beliefs using available information. Counterfactual analysis reveals that uncertainty about the demand process amplifies investment cycles through (i) leading firms to revise beliefs more drastically as they experience demand fluctuations, and (ii) intensifying strategic incentives among firms.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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