Lotteries as a funding tool for financing public goods

In the Review of Economic Studies, Morgan (2000) proposed that targeted self-funding lotteries could be used as a method of increasing voluntary contributions to public goods. In the same issue, Morgan and Sefton (2000) tested the theoretical predictions in a laboratory experiment and found support for the theory. The theory, and consequently the experiment, both assumed a quasi-linear utility function with one private good and one representative public good. This current research asks the question, does such a lottery work when there are two public goods? In the original case, expected utility maximization causes agents to divert funding away from the private good and towards the public good. Enough resources are diverted to not only fund the lottery prize but also to lead to an overall increase in public good provision thereby increasing social welfare. However, when two public goods are involved, funds are diverted from both the private good and from any out-of-equilibrium voluntary contributions made to the public good that does not involve the lottery. This paper presents the theory and an initial experiment run at CEEL in Trento using PGLottery software designed at McEEL (McMaster) and CEEL. There are two key findings. First, behaviour in a multiple public good experiment seems to differ from behaviour in traditional single public good experiments. Second, opposite to the findings of Morgan and Sefton (2000), the introduction of the lottery decreases efficiency, adding evidence to the argument that lotteries decrease social welfare.

Heterogeneity and the Voluntary Provision of Public Goods

We investigate the effects of heterogeneity, incomplete information and communication on aggregate contributions to a public good using the voluntary contribution mechanism in a nonlinear laboratory environment. One-dimensional heterogeneity (heterogeneity in income or preferences) and two-dimensional heterogeneity (heterogeneity in income and preferences) both increase voluntary contributions. The effect is greatest when information is incomplete in the sense that subjects do not know each other’s payoffs. Incomplete information also reduces contributions in the homogeneous case. Communication reverses the relative importance of oneand two-dimensional heterogeneity in promoting cooperation.

Aquilegia, Vol. 13 No. 6, November-December 1989: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1049/thumbnail.jp

Aquilegia, Vol. 14 No. 3, May-June 1990: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1052/thumbnail.jp

Aquilegia, Vol. 14 No. 4, July-August 1990: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1053/thumbnail.jp

Aquilegia, Vol. 14 No. 1, January-February 1990: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1050/thumbnail.jp

Mutations in Mll2, an H3K4 methyltransferase, result in insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance in mice.

We employed a random mutagenesis approach to identify novel monogenic determinants of type 2 diabetes. Here we show that haplo-insufficiency of the histone methyltransferase myeloid-lineage leukemia (Mll2/Wbp7) gene causes type 2 diabetes in the mouse. We have shown that mice heterozygous for two separate mutations in the SET domain of Mll2 or heterozygous Mll2 knockout mice were hyperglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemic and developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Consistent with previous Mll2 knockout studies, mice homozygous for either ENU mutation (or compound heterozygotes) died during embryonic development at 9.5-14.5 days post coitum. Heterozygous deletion of Mll2 induced in the adult mouse results in a normal phenotype suggesting that changes in chromatin methylation during development result in the adult phenotype. Mll2 has been shown to regulate a small subset of genes, a number of which Neurod1, Enpp1, Slc27a2, and Plcxd1 are downregulated in adult mutant mice. Our results demonstrate that histone H3K4 methyltransferase Mll2 is a component of the genetic regulation necessary for glucose homeostasis, resulting in a specific disease pattern linking chromatin modification with causes and progression of type 2 diabetes, providing a basis for its further understanding at the molecular level

Aquilegia, Vol. 14 No. 2, March-April 1990: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1051/thumbnail.jp

Eaten out of house and home:impacts of grazing on ground-dwelling reptiles in Australian grasslands and grassy woodlands

Large mammalian grazers can alter the biotic and abiotic features of their environment through their impacts on vegetation. Grazing at moderate intensity has been recommended for biodiversity conservation. Few studies, however, have empirically tested the benefits of moderate grazing intensity in systems dominated by native grazers. Here we investigated the relationship between (1) density of native eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, and grass structure, and (2) grass structure and reptiles (i.e. abundance, richness, diversity and occurrence) across 18 grassland and grassy Eucalyptus woodland properties in south-eastern Australia. There was a strong negative relationship between kangaroo density and grass structure after controlling for tree canopy cover. We therefore used grass structure as a surrogate for grazing intensity. Changes in grazing intensity (i.e. grass structure) significantly affected reptile abundance, reptile species richness, reptile species diversity, and the occurrence of several ground-dwelling reptiles. Reptile abundance, species richness and diversity were highest where grazing intensity was low. Importantly, no species of reptile was more likely to occur at high grazing intensities. Legless lizards (Delma impar, D. inornata) were more likely to be detected in areas subject to moderate grazing intensity, whereas one species (Hemiergis talbingoensis) was less likely to be detected in areas subject to intense grazing and three species (Menetia greyii, Morethia boulengeri, and Lampropholis delicata) did not appear to be affected by grazing intensity. Our data indicate that to maximize reptile abundance, species richness, species diversity, and occurrence of several individual species of reptile, managers will need to subject different areas of the landscape to moderate and low grazing intensities and limit the occurrence and extent of high grazing

The Voluntary Provision of Public Goods under Varying Income Distributions.

The T. C. Bergstrom, L. E. Blume, and H. R. Varian (1986) model of voluntary contributions to public goods predicts increases in public good provision as the distribution of income becomes more unequal. This model is tested in the laboratory. Group behavior conforms to the model but individual behavior does not. Individuals with low incomes overcontribute to the public good; individuals with high incomes undercontribute. Coauthors are Stuart Mestelman, Rob Moir, and R. Andrew Muller.