This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Marginal Cost Pricing versus Insurance

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Simon Cowan

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

The regulator of a natural monopoly that sets a two-part tariff and whose marginal cost is stochastic will generally want the price to vary less than marginal cost when the lump-sum charge in the tariff is fixed. A trade-off exists between efficient pricing and an optimal allocation of risk. Pricing at marginal cost is only optimal when the consumer`s marginal utility is independent of the price. When marginal utility increases with the price the mark-up falls monotonically as marginal cost rises. The lump-sum element of the tariff should exceed the fixed cost when demand is inelastic and equals the fixed cost only with unit elasticity. The model may also be applied to optimal commodity taxation.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.economics.ox.ac.uk/research/WP/PDF/paper102.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Oxford, Department of Economics in its series Economics Series Working Papers with number 102.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: 2002
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:oxf:wpaper:102

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Manor Rd. Building, Oxford, OX1 3UQ
Email:
Web page: http://www.economics.ox.ac.uk/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Mark George).

Related research
Keywords: price risk regulation Ramsey pricing

Find related papers by JEL classification:
L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
D42 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Monopoly
H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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.:

  1. Paola Giuliano & Stephen Turnovsky, 2000. "Intertemporal Substitution, Risk Aversion, and Economic Performance in a Stochastically Growing Open Economy," Working Papers 0002, University of Washington, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. John Y. Campbell & Joao F. Cocco, 2003. "Household Risk Management and Optimal Mortgage Choice," NBER Working Papers 9759, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Barzel, Yoram & Suen, Wing, 1992. "The Demand Curves for Giffen Goods Are Downward Sloping," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 102(413), pages 896-905, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Besley, Timothy J, 1989. "A Definition of Luxury and Necessity for Cardinal Utility Functions," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(397), pages 844-49, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Dhillon, Upinder S & Shilling, James D & Sirmans, C F, 1987. "Choosing between Fixed and Adjustable Rate Mortgages: A Note," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 19(2), pages 260-67, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Rogerson, William P, 1980. "Aggregate Expected Consumer Surplus as a Welfare Index with an Application to Price Stabilization," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(2), pages 423-36, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Britto, Ronald, 1980. "Resource Allocation in a Simple, Two-Sector Model with Production Risk," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 90(358), pages 363-70, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. George M. Constantinides & John B. Donaldson & Rajnish Mehra, 2002. "Junior Can'T Borrow: A New Perspective On The Equity Premium Puzzle," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 117(1), pages 269-296, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Severin Borenstein, 2002. "The Trouble with Electricity Markets: Understanding California's Restructuring Disaster," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(1), pages 191-211, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Newbery, David M, 1989. "The Theory of Food Price Stabilisation," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(398), pages 1065-82, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Turnovsky, Stephen J & Shalit, Haim & Schmitz, Andrew, 1980. "Consumer's Surplus, Price Instability, and Consumer Welfare," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(1), pages 135-52, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Stennek, Johan, 1999. "The expected consumer's surplus as a welfare measure," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 265-288, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Crew, Michael A & Fernando, Chitru S & Kleindorfer, Paul R, 1995. "The Theory of Peak-Load Pricing: A Survey," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 215-48, November.
  14. Mark Armstrong & Simon Cowan & John Vickers, 1994. "Regulatory Reform: Economic Analysis and British Experience," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262510790, December.
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? RePEc data is maintained by each archive holder on its own website. Nothing is held centrally.

This page was last updated on 2008-11-17.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.