P. Lasserre et P. Ouellette, FACTOR DEMANDS, COST-FUNCTIONS, AND TECHNOLOGY MEASUREMENTS FOR REGULATED FIRMS, Canadian journal of economics, 27(1), 1994, pp. 218-242
In this paper we provide some missing elements to the theory of the re
gulated firm and discuss implications for econometric specification. P
articular attention is paid to situations where capital is quasi-fixed
under rate-of-return regulation, which may lead to serious specificat
ion and interpretation errors if the current theoretical basis is not
adjusted. We also extend the analysis to arbitrary types of regulation
and indicate precisely how the differential of factor demands can be
specified and what regularity conditions it must satisfy. The exact fo
rmula for the calculation of marginal products, returns to scale, and
technological change are derived.