Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study
Transcription
Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study
Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan March 26, 2015 Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Conclusions Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Interlinkage is a contractual arrangement between two parties that combines transactions across multiple markets. Example prevalent in a developing country: ◮ ◮ ◮ A monopsonist middleman buys crops from a farmer at price P . The middleman also provides the farmer a production loan with interest rate i. The middleman will decide {P, i}. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Conclusions Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Q: Why should the middleman offer a loan to his farmers? What is the interest rate, i, the middleman will charge? Traditional wisdom: i is a usurious rate Gangopadhyay and Sengupta (1987): i ≤ the middleman’s cost of capital Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Gangopadhyay and Sengupta (1987): ◮ ◮ L: production loan a farmer takes f (L): an increasing and concave production function Given the middleman’s terms {P, i}, the farmer will decide how much to borrow: maxL πf = P f (L) − (1 + i)L. F OC : f ′(L) = (1 + i)/P Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions The middleman sells crops in a competitive market at price v, and his cost of capital is r. He wishes to: max{P,i} πm = vf (L) − (1 + r)L − P f (L) + (1 + i)L s.t. f ′ (L) = (1 + i)/P (IC) P f (L) − (1 + i)L ≥ A (IR), where A is the farmer’s opportunity cost. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions The middleman’s optimal strategy: ◮ Choose {P, i} to induce the farmer to borrow L so that the joint surplus, S(L) ≡ πf + πm = vf (L) − (1 + r)L, is maximized. ◮ Then suppress the farmer’s profit, πf , to his opportunity cost, A. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions To achieve the maximum joint surplus S ∗, the optimal L∗ satisfies: f ′ (L∗) = (1 + r)/v, while the IC constraint is: f ′ (L∗) = (1 + i)/P. Any {P, i} satisfying (1+i)/P = (1+r)/v or P/v = (1+i)/(1+r) ≡ α. yields the maximum joint surplus. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions The farmer’s share of surplus is: πf /S ∗ = (P f (L∗)−(1+i)L∗)/(vf (L∗)−(1+r)L∗) = α. To choose α = A/S ∗ makes the farmer receives A. In sum, in the optimal interlinked contracts, P/v = (1 + i)/(1 + r) = A/S ∗. The middleman will provide loan to the farmer only when the farmer’s opportunity cost is less than the maximal joint surplus. So, A/S ∗ ≤ 1 and it implies that i ≤ r. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions It is difficult to collect the terms of trade between the middleman and the farmer. This paper uses the contracts between Taiwanese cane farmers and Japanese sugar mills in the colonial era to test the theory, because the situation fits the theory’s framework. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Each sugar mill was a monopsonist in its local region thanks to regulation. Before the planting season, mills would announce their future contracts for cane. Considering the terms, farmers were free to choose cane or other crops to plant. Most sugar produced in Taiwan was exported to Japan, where the Japanese and other foreign manufacturers competed to sell it. Mills provided their cane farmers with loans. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions 300 250 sum 200 150 fertilizers 100 working capital 50 others seeds 9 0 8 1 9 3 9 /4 8 /3 7 /3 9 3 9 3 1 1 6 7 6 /3 5 /3 9 3 9 3 1 1 4 5 4 /3 3 /3 9 3 9 3 1 1 2 3 2 /3 1 /3 9 3 9 3 1 1 0 1 0 /3 9 /3 9 3 9 2 1 1 8 9 9 2 8 /2 7 /2 1 9 2 6 /2 9 2 1 1 6 7 5 9 2 1 9 2 5 /2 4 4 /2 1 1 9 2 3 /2 3 2 /2 9 2 1 9 2 1 1 9 2 0 /2 1 /2 1 2 0 Figure: Average Loan (yuan/chia) Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions We have to modify the model to fit the data. ◮ ◮ ◮ Price discrimination between paddy farmers (rice growers) and dry-field farmers (potato growers) because of their different opportunity costs to plant cane (A1 < A2 ). The interest rate was not differentiated among farmers. Otherwise farmers qualifying for the lowest rate would borrow and then transfer their loans to other farmers. A mill’s contract is: {i, P1, P2 }. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions 1.2 village credit unions’ average 1 mills’ average 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 1930/31 1931/32 1932/33 1933/34 1934/35 1935/36 1936/37 1937/38 1938/39 1939/40 Figure: Monthly Interest Rate (%) Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions v/P2 > (1 + r)/(1 + i)? 1930/31 橋仔頭, units = yuan/1000gin Ps = 121.7 (the 1928 future price of sugar) c = 25.58 (production cost) φ = 0.1519 (the conversion ratio) v = (Ps − c)φ = 14.6 P2 = 5 For r < 192%, the inequality holds only if i < 0. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Why not negative interest rate? Loans on fertilizers were probably interest free. While the stated interest rate was said clearly to apply to loans on working capital and tenants’ rent payments, no contract ever discussed how to calculate interest payments for fertilizer loans. 《農業基本調查書》: 28.98% of mills’ loans were free of interest. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions All contracts stated that fertilizer loans were given out in-kind, and mills would charge farmers no more than the cost. 1930/31 台東, the aboriginal cane farmers received 20% of their ammonium sulfate and 50% of their calcium superphosphate for free. This in fact made interest rates negative. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Working capital loans, unlike fertilizer loans, were lent in cash. If working capital loans were free of interest, or if the mill subsidized working capital loans, farmers would be induced to borrow to finance other needs as well. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions To control for farmer’s moral hazard: In the case that i was lower than the market rate, cane farmers would use a mill’s loan to finance their other needs, or even take the arbitrage opportunity to lend money from the mill to others at the market rate. Mills were apparently aware of this problem and their contracts stipulated that if a farmer was caught using the loan for other purposes, he was subject to a fine two to three times the amount of his loan. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions Conclusions: ◮ Our findings support Gangopadhyay and Sengupta (1987) who proposed that when a production loan is interlinked with other trade, the creditor is willing to ask for an interest rate lower than its cost of capital, and the loss in lending will be more than compensated by profit in the other trade. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study Definition of interlinkage ◮ ◮ Literature Where to find data to test the theory? Model modification Conclusions The interest rate is not as low as their model predicts. We conjecture that it is because too low an interest rate would encourage farmers to borrow more than their investment needs. The terms in the contracts are largely consistent with the second best interest rate and the optimal cane price. Hui-wen Koo, Chen-ying Huang and Kamhon Kan Interlinked Contracts: An Empirical Study