Samuelson machines and the optimal public-private mix

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Samuelson machines and the optimal public-private mix

Author Info

Simon Clark () (University of Edinburgh)
Ravi Kanbur () (Cornell University)

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Simon Clark

Abstract

Standard economic analysis assumes the sets of public and private goods to be exogenously given. Yet societies very often choose the public-private mix, using resources to convert seemingly private goods into ones with public goods characteristics and vice versa. In practice, we see a bewilderingly large variety of public-private mixes across societies. This papers advances an analysis of the choice of the public-private mix in the framework of voluntary contributions to public goods provision, by envisaging that, starting from a situation where all goods have private characteristics, some goods can be changed to have public goods characteristics at a cost (by purchasing a "Samuelson machine"). It characterizes the jointly optimal choice of the public-private mix and the efficient supply or not of the public goods in the mix. This characterization generates a number of testable predictions on the public-private mix, and on the prevalence of free riding

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Economics Bulletin in its journal Economics Bulletin.

Volume (Year): 8 (2006)
Issue (Month): 13 ()
Pages: 1-11
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Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:v:8:y:2006:i:13:p:1-11

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Paper
- Simon Clark & Ravi Kanbur, 2004. "Samuelson Machines and the Optimal Public-Private Mix," ESE Discussion Papers 83, Edinburgh School of Economics, University of Edinburgh. [Downloadable!]

Find related papers by JEL classification:
H0 - Public Economics - - General
D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

Todd Sandler & Keith Hartley, 2001. "Economics of Alliances: The Lessons for Collective Action," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(3), pages 869-896, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Bergstrom, Theodore & Blume, Lawrence & Varian, Hal, 1986. "On the private provision of public goods," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 25-49, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
- Ted Bergstrom & Larry Blume & Hal Varian, 1986. "On the Private Provision of Public Goods," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 1986B, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]

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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

Rob Moir, 2004. "Lotteries as a funding tool for financing public goods," CEEL Working Papers 0401, Computable and Experimental Economics Laboratory, Department of Economics, University of Trento, Italia. [Downloadable!]

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