Kay Mitusch

An Auctioning Approach to Railway Slot Allocation

We present an approach to implement an auction of railway slots. Railway network, train driving characteristics, and safety requirements are described by a simplified, but still complex macroscopic model. In this environment, slots are modelled as combinations of scheduled track segments. The auction design builds on the iterative combinatorial auction. However, combinatorial bids are restricted to some types of slot bundles that realize positive synergies between slots. We present a bidding language that allows bidding for these slot bundles. An integer programming approach is proposed to solve the winner determination problem of our auction. Computational results for auction simulations in the Hannover-Fulda-Kassel area of the German railway network give evidence that auction approaches can induce a more efficient use of railway capacity.

Interest rate and liquidity risk management and the European money supply process

Abstract The monetary setup of the European Central Bank (ECB) centers around short-term securities repurchase agreements (repos) which ensure the flexibility of its money market management. However, a flexible repo-based monetary policy exposes banks to both interest rate risk and liquidity risk. This paper investigates the consequences for the money supply process and the conduct of monetary policy. We develop a loan supply model with maturity transformation and show how banks respond when future monetary policy is expected to become tighter or more uncertain. Our results also shed light on the rationale behind the use of different pricing rules in the ECBs repo auctions.

Job Independence as an Incentive Device

A firm can either subject its workers to strict rules and regulations or grant them independence. If independent, they can make entrenchment-investments which will not only raise their productivity but also make the firm depend on their cooperation. However, in contrast to a standard holdup problem, the firm can afterwards take over control, thus stripping such workers of a part of their bargaining assets. This leads to structural distortions and may aggravate the holdup problem. However, the threat of partial expropriation may also alleviate the holdup problem and even induce overinvestment.

Expectations and interest rates on mortgage loans

We examine the role of expectations for interest rates on mortgage loans. Our empirical results, based on cointegration tests, indicate a violation of the expectations hypothesis on the German loan market. In contrast to the capital market, a failure of the expectations hypothesis on the loan market cannot be attributed to the market segmentation hypothesis. Using a simple two-period model, we can show that the deviation from the expectations hypothesis is stronger than on the capital market and such that it confirms the common practice of choosing between loans with variable or fixed interest rates.

Debt contracts, banks, and aggregate liquidity

Abstract The use of debt contracts in private trade credits leads to an overabundance of liquidity and a shortage of long-term investments relative to the first–best. Banks can avoid this problem by offering loan commitments or lines of credit, thus helping to reduce aggregate liquidity.