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Collusion in Auctions for Emission Permits: An Experimental Analysis

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  • Burtraw, Dallas

    () (Resources for the Future)

  • Goeree, Jacob
  • Holt, Charles A.
  • Myers, Erica
  • Palmer, Karen
  • Shobe, William

Abstract

Environmental markets have several institutional features that provide a new context for the use of auctions and which have not been studied previously. This paper reports on laboratory experiments testing three auction forms -– uniform and discriminatory price sealed bid auctions and an ascending clock auction. We test the ability of subjects to tacitly or explicitly collude in order to maximize profits. Our main result is that the discriminatory and uniform price auctions produce greater revenues than the clock auction, both without and with explicit communication. The clock appears to be more subject to successful collusion because of its sequential structure and because it allows bidders to focus on one dimension of cooperation (quantity) rather than two (price and quantity).

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Resources For the Future in its series Discussion Papers with number dp-08-36.

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Date of creation: 15 Sep 2008
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Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-08-36

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Keywords: auctions; collusion; experiments; carbon dioxide; greenhouse gases;

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References

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  1. David Porter & Roumen Vragov, 2006. "An experimental examination of demand reduction in multi-unit versions of the Uniform-price, Vickrey, and English auctions," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(6), pages 445-458.
  2. Burtraw, Dallas & Palmer, Karen, 2006. "Summary of the Workshop to Support Implementing the Minimum 25 Percent Public Benefit Allocation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative," Discussion Papers dp-06-45, Resources For the Future.
  3. Haile, Philip A., 2000. "Partial Pooling at the Reserve Price in Auctions with Resale Opportunities," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 231-248, November.
  4. Thomas Tröger & Rodney Garratt & Charles Zheng, 2008. "Collusion via Resale," Bonn Econ Discussion Papers bgse20_2008, University of Bonn, Germany.
  5. Ken Binmore & Paul Klemperer, 2002. "The Biggest Auction Ever: the Sale of the British 3G Telecom Licences," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(478), pages C74-C96, March.
  6. Mason, Charles F & Phillips, Owen R & Nowell, Clifford, 1992. "Duopoly Behavior in Asymmetric Markets: An Experimental Evaluation," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 74(4), pages 662-70, November.
  7. Alsemgeest, Paul & Noussair, Charles & Olson, Mark, 1998. "Experimental Comparisons of Auctions under Single- and Multi-Unit Demand," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 36(1), pages 87-97, January.
  8. Paul Klemperer, 2004. "Auctions: Theory and Practice," Economics Papers 2004-W09, Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
  9. Jacob Goeree & Theo Offerman & Randolph Sloof, 2004. "Demand Reduction and Preemptive Bidding in Multi-Unit License Auctions," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 04-122/1, Tinbergen Institute.
  10. Porter, David & Rassenti, Stephen & Shobe, William & Smith, Vernon & Winn, Abel, 2009. "The design, testing and implementation of Virginia's NOx allowance auction," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 190-200, February.
  11. Charles A. Holt & William M. Shobe & Angela M. Smith, 2005. "An Experimental Basis for Public Policy Initiatives," Working Papers 2005-01, Center for Economic and Policy Studies.
  12. Haile, Philip A., 2003. "Auctions with private uncertainty and resale opportunities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 72-110, January.
  13. Lawrence M. Ausubel & Peter Cramton, 1995. "Demand Reduction and Inefficiency in Multi-Unit Auctions," Papers of Peter Cramton 98wpdr, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 22 Jul 2002.
  14. Dallas Burtraw & Karen Palmer, 2008. "Compensation rules for climate policy in the electricity sector," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 819-847.
  15. Peter Cramton, 1998. "Ascending Auctions," Papers of Peter Cramton 98eer, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 28 Jul 1998.
  16. Charles A. Holt & William Shobe & Dallas Burtraw & Karen Palmer & Jacob K. Goeree, 2007. "Auction Design for Selling CO2 Emission Allowances Under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative," Reports 2007-03, Center for Economic and Policy Studies.
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Saral, Krista Jabs, 2010. "Speculation and Demand Reduction in English Clock Auctions with Resale," MPRA Paper 25139, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  2. Reeson, Andrew F. & Rodriguez, Luis C. & Whitten, Stuart M. & Williams, Kristen & Nolles, Karel & Windle, Jill & Rolfe, John, 2011. "Adapting auctions for the provision of ecosystem services at the landscape scale," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(9), pages 1621-1627, July.
  3. Dallas Burtraw & Jacob K. Goeree & Charles A. Holt & Erica Myers & Karen Palmer & William Shobe, 2010. "Price Discovery in Emissions Permit Auctions," Working Papers 2010-01, Center for Economic and Policy Studies.
  4. Goeree, Jacob K. & Holt, Charles A. & Palmer, Karen & Shobe, William & Burtraw, Dallas, 2009. "An Experimental Study of Auctions Versus Grandfathering to Assign Pollution Permits," Discussion Papers dp-09-39, Resources For the Future.
  5. Giuseppe Lopomo & Leslie M. Marx & David McAdams & Brian Murray, 2011. "Carbon Allowance Auction Design: An Assessment of Options for the United States," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 5(1), pages 25-43, Winter.
  6. David McAdams & Giuseppe Lopomo & Leslie Marx & Brian Murray, . "Carbon Allowance Auction Design: An Assessment of Options for the U.S," Working Papers 10-64, Duke University, Department of Economics.
  7. Holt, Charles A. & Johnson, Cathleen & Mallow, Courtney & Sullivan, Sean P., 2010. "Tragedy of the common canal," MPRA Paper 20838, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  8. Anthony M. Kwasnica & Katerina Sherstyuk, 2013. "Multi-Unit Auctions," Working Papers 201301, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Economics.

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