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A Cournot Mechanism for Pollution Control under Asymmetric Information

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  • Ross McKitrick

Abstract

The contribution of this paper is to show that a simple nonlinear tax can achieve a long-run socially optimal level of pollution without the regulator knowing marginal abatement costs. Firms are charged their differential contribution to total damages, evaluated at the upper margin of current emissions. This induces a Cournot game in pollution levels. We show that the Nash equilibrium exists, corresponds to the socially optimal long-run output and emission levels and number of firms, is stable, and can be reached by iterative computations where conjectures are formed using a linear estimator based on past emission levels. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1999

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  • Ross McKitrick, 1999. "A Cournot Mechanism for Pollution Control under Asymmetric Information," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 14(3), pages 353-363, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:14:y:1999:i:3:p:353-363
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1008397420322
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. N. Quérou & M. Tidball, 2014. "Consistent conjectures in a dynamic model of non-renewable resource management," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 220(1), pages 159-180, September.
    3. Fischer, Carolyn, 2011. "Market power and output-based refunding of environmental policy revenues," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 212-230, January.
    4. Fischer, Carolyn, 2003. "Output-Based Allocation of Environmental Policy Revenues and Imperfect Competition," Discussion Papers 10764, Resources for the Future.
    5. Athanasios Kampas & Ben White, 2004. "Administrative Costs and Instrument Choice for Stochastic Non-point Source Pollutants," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 27(2), pages 109-133, February.
    6. Elnaboulsi, J.C. & Daher, W. & Sağlam, Y., 2018. "On the social value of publicly disclosed information and environmental regulation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-22.
    7. Kennedy Peter W & Laplante Benoit & Whittington Dale, 2010. "Simple Pricing Schemes for Pollution Control under Asymmetric Information," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-37, February.
    8. Mamada, Robert & Perrings, Charles, 2020. "The effect of emission charges on output and emissions in dynamic Cournot duopoly," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 370-380.
    9. Paul Mensink, 2004. "Instant Efficient Pollution Abatement under Non-Linear Taxation and Asymmetric Information: The Differential Tax Revisited," Working Papers 2004.124, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    10. Halkos, George & Kitsou, Dimitra, 2014. "A weighted location differential tax method in environmental problems," MPRA Paper 59502, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Antelo, Manel & Loureiro, Maria L., 2009. "Asymmetric information, signaling and environmental taxes in oligopoly," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 1430-1440, March.
    12. George E. Halkos & Dimitra C. Kitsou, 2018. "Weighted location differential tax in environmental problems," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 20(1), pages 1-15, January.

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