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Uncertainty and the Choice of Policy Instruments: A Note On Baumol and Oates Propositions

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  • Ratna Shrestha

Abstract

Baumol and Oates' propositions, the irrelevancy of benefit uncertainty and the importance of cost uncertainty on the choice between a tax and a system of marketable permits, are limited to a large-number case in which the opportunities for victims of pollution to participate in a permit market are non-existent. However, with the evolution of environmental groups and coalitions of victims in neighborhoods, the large-number case can easily transform into a small-number case. This paper shows that when the pollution standard, set at what appears to be optimal ex ante, is excessively lenient, the system of marketable permits offers such groups a flexibility to buy pollution permits in a competitive market and destroy them until the optimal solution is realized. In the reverse situation, however, Baumol and Oates propositions are unambiguously valid. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998

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  • Ratna Shrestha, 1998. "Uncertainty and the Choice of Policy Instruments: A Note On Baumol and Oates Propositions," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 12(4), pages 497-505, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:12:y:1998:i:4:p:497-505
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1008208111834
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Montgomery, W. David, 1972. "Markets in licenses and efficient pollution control programs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 395-418, December.
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    3. Ledyard, John O. & Szakaly-Moore, Kristin, 1994. "Designing organizations for trading pollution rights," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 167-196, October.
    4. Tietenberg, Thomas H, 1974. "On Taxation and the Control of Externalities: Comment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(3), pages 462-466, June.
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    6. Fishelson, Gideon, 1976. "Emission control policies under uncertainty," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 189-197, October.
    7. Martin L. Weitzman, 1974. "Prices vs. Quantities," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 41(4), pages 477-491.
    8. Adar, Zvi & Griffin, James M., 1976. "Uncertainty and the choice of pollution control instruments," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 178-188, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Malueg, David A. & Yates, Andrew J., 2006. "Citizen participation in pollution permit markets," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 205-217, March.
    2. Asproudis, Elias & Weyman-Jones, Tom, 2011. "Third parties �participation in tradable permits market. Do we need them?," MPRA Paper 28766, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Andrew Yates & Daniel English, 2007. "Citizens' demand for permits and Kwerel''s incentive compatible mechanism for pollution control," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 17(4), pages 1-9.
    4. Smith, Stefani C. & Yates, Andrew J., 2003. "Optimal pollution permit endowments in markets with endogenous emissions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 425-445, November.
    5. Zylicz, Tomasz, 2003. "Instruments for water management at the drainage basin scale," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 43-51, November.
    6. Peifang Yang & Daniel T. Kaffine, 2016. "Community-Based Tradable Permits for Localized Pollution," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 65(4), pages 773-788, December.
    7. Rousse, Olivier, 2008. "Environmental and economic benefits resulting from citizens' participation in CO2 emissions trading: An efficient alternative solution to the voluntary compensation of CO2 emissions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 388-397, January.
    8. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:17:y:2007:i:4:p:1-9 is not listed on IDEAS

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