Subscription equilibria with public production: Existence and regularity

We revisit the analysis of subscription equilibria in a full fledged general equilibrium model with public goods. We study the case of a nonprofit, or public, firm that produces the public good using private goods as inputs, which are to be financed by voluntary contributions (subscriptions) of households. We prove existence and generic regularity of subscription equilibria.general equilibrium; public goods; subscription equilibrium; existence; generic regularity

Private versus public companies with strategic CSR

AbstractWe analyze the effects of strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on social welfare in an industry where firms are owned by consumers (publicly owned) and CSR commitment takes the form of a fraction of the consumer surplus into the firms' objective function. We compare this market configuration with the standard case of firms owned by entrepreneurs (privately owned). In line with the empirical evidence, consumers' ownership gives an incentive to adopt a socially responsible, welfare improving statute. While privately-owned companies are limited in the level of social concern to implement, publicly-owned companies are not, and CSR is welfare-improving for any level of social concern. Surprisingly, a market configuration of publicly-owned CSR companies decreases welfare compared to an oligopoly of privately-owned CSR companies. The analysis is then extended by considering asymmetric oligopolies with different company types

Pareto improving interventions in a general equilibrium model with private provision of public goods

Most of the literature on government intervention in models of voluntary public goods supply focuses on interventions that increase the total level of a public good, which is considered to be typically underprovided. However, an intervention that is successful in increasing the public good level need not benefit everyone. In this paper we take a direct approach to welfare properties of voluntary provision equilibria in a full blown general equilibrium model with public goods and study interventions that have the goal of Pareto improving on the voluntary provision outcome. Towards this end, we study a model with many private goods and nonlinear production technology for the public good, and hence allow for relative price effects to serve as a powerful channel of intervention. In this setup we show that Pareto improving interventions generally do exist. In particular, direct government provision financed by “small”, or “local”, lump-sum taxes can be used generically to Pareto improve upon the voluntary provision outcome

Subscription equilibria with public production: Existence and regularity

We revisit the analysis of subscription equilibria in a full fledged general equilibrium model with public goods. We study the case of a nonprofit, or public, firm that produces the public good using private goods as inputs, which are to be financed by voluntary contributions (subscriptions) of households. We prove existence and generic regularity of subscription equilibria

On the neutrality of redistribution in a general equilibrium model with public goods

Models on private provision of public goods typically involve a single private good and linear production technology for the public good. We study a model with several private goods and non-linear (strictly concave) production technology. We revisit the question of “neutrality” of government interventions on equilibrium outcomes and show that relative price effects that are absent with a single private good and linear production technology become a powerful channel of redistribution in this case. Contrary to previous results, redistributing endowments in favor of contributors is shown to be neither necessary nor sufficient for increasing the equilibrium level of public good

Subscription equilibria with public production: Existence and regularity

We revisit the analysis of subscription equilibria in a full fledged general equilibrium model with public goods. We study the case of a nonprofit, or public, firm that produces the public good using private goods as inputs, which are to be financed by voluntary contributions (subscriptions) of households. We prove existence and generic regularity of subscription equilibria

Pareto improving interventions in a general equilibrium model with private provision of public goods

Most of the literature on government intervention in models of voluntary public goods supply focuses on interventions that increase the total level of a public good, which is considered to be typically underprovided. However, an intervention that is successful in increasing the public good level need not benefit everyone. In this paper we take a direct approach to welfare properties of voluntary provision equilibria in a full blown general equilibrium model with public goods and study interventions that have the goal of Pareto improving on the voluntary provision outcome. Towards this end, we study a model with many private goods and nonlinear production technology for the public good, and hence allow for relative price effects to serve as a powerful channel of intervention. In this setup we show that Pareto improving interventions generally do exist. In particular, direct government provision financed by “small”, or “local”, lump-sum taxes can be used generically to Pareto improve upon the voluntary provision outcome

On the neutrality of redistribution in a general equilibrium model with public goods

Models on private provision of public goods typically involve a single private good and linear production technology for the public good. We study a model with several private goods and non-linear (strictly concave) production technology. We revisit the question of “neutrality” of government interventions on equilibrium outcomes and show that relative price effects that are absent with a single private good and linear production technology become a powerful channel of redistribution in this case. Contrary to previous results, redistributing endowments in favor of contributors is shown to be neither necessary nor sufficient for increasing the equilibrium level of public good