Liberalizing trade in environmental goods and services

We examine the effects of trade liberalization in environmental goods in a model with one domestic downstream polluting firm and two upstream firms (one domestic, one foreign). The upstream firms offer their technologies to the downstream firm at a flat fee. The domestic government sets the emission tax rate after the outcome of R&D is known. The effect of liberalization on the domestic upstream firm's R&D incentive is ambiguous. Liberalization usually results in cleaner production, which allows the country to reach higher welfare. However this increase in welfare is typically achieved at the expense of the environment (a backfire effect)

Career Concerns and the Acquisition of Firm-Specific Skills

This paper studies incentive schemes that can motivate a worker to acquire nonverifiable firm-specific skills, when the acquisition process is also one of learning about managerial talent. At the beginning of the employment relationship, the worker encounters opportunities to enhance his or her specific human capital. Greater skills may increase the chances of being promoted, but as more opportunities are taken, more is learned about the worker's intrinsic talent, and someone displaying low talent is sure not to be promoted. In this context we show that first-best firm-specific skills collection can be implemented with a scheme that combines discretionary promotions, an appropriate wage schedule and subsidies of training at the margin

Mandated self-regulation: the danger of cosmetic compliance

Regulation, Environmental management systems, Misrepresentation, D62, K32, Q58,

Repetitive risk aversion

Expected utility, Risk aversion, Risk premium, Completely monotone functions, D80, D81,