IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/reviec/v18y2010i5p1001-1011.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Public Choice Approach to Strategic and Nonstrategic Environmental Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Stefan Csordás

Abstract

In this paper we take a public choice perspective on strategic environmental policy and international environmental agreements. We examine cooperative and noncooperative environmental policies under governments that are either welfare maximizers (“good dictators”) or tax revenue maximizers (“Leviathans”). We show that Leviathans can perform better in terms of welfare and that good dictators can set higher taxes. We then analyze international environmental agreements and show that the breakdown of environmental cooperation can indeed lead to a welfare gain for all signatory countries. Considering a delegation game between governments, we find that a Pareto‐superior Leviathan outcome can be the unique Nash equilibrium.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Csordás, 2010. "A Public Choice Approach to Strategic and Nonstrategic Environmental Policy," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(5), pages 1001-1011, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:reviec:v:18:y:2010:i:5:p:1001-1011
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9396.2010.00922.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9396.2010.00922.x
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-9396.2010.00922.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jean Tirole, 1988. "The Theory of Industrial Organization," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262200716, April.
    2. Wirl, Franz & Dockner, Engelbert, 1995. "Leviathan governments and carbon taxes: Costs and potential benefits," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 1215-1236, June.
    3. Roger Clarke & David R. Collie, 2008. "Maximum‐revenue versus Optimum‐welfare Export Taxes: a Delegation Game," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(5), pages 919-929, November.
    4. Brander, James A. & Spencer, Barbara J., 1985. "Export subsidies and international market share rivalry," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1-2), pages 83-100, February.
    5. Jonathan Eaton & Gene M. Grossman, 1986. "Optimal Trade and Industrial Policy Under Oligopoly," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 101(2), pages 383-406.
    6. Ulph, Alistair, 1996. "Environmental Policy and International Trade when Governments and Producers Act Strategically," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 265-281, May.
    7. Rauscher, Michael, 1994. "On Ecological Dumping," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 46(0), pages 822-840, Supplemen.
    8. Panagariya, Arvind & Schiff, Maurice, 1994. "Can revenue maximizing export taxes yield higher welfare than welfare maximizing export taxes?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 79-84, May.
    9. Greaker, Mads, 2003. "Strategic environmental policy; eco-dumping or a green strategy?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 692-707, May.
    10. Ornelas, Emanuel, 2008. "Feasible multilateralism and the effects of regionalism," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 202-224, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Schmid, Stefanie U., 1997. "Umweltpolitik und internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit," Kiel Working Papers 823, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    2. Odd Rune Straume, 2006. "Product Market Integration and Environmental Policy Coordination in An International Duopoly," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 34(4), pages 535-563, August.
    3. Adel Ben Youssef & Ludovic Ragni, 1998. "Politiques environnementales stratégiques et concurrence internationale : théorie et évidences," Revue d'Économie Industrielle, Programme National Persée, vol. 83(1), pages 81-98.
    4. Requate, Till, 2005. "Environmental Policy under Imperfect Competition: A Survey," Economics Working Papers 2005-12, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Department of Economics.
    5. Glebe, Thilo W. & Latacz-Lohmann, Uwe, 2004. "Agricultural Trade Liberalization And Strategic Environmental Policy: A Formal Analysis," 2004 Annual meeting, August 1-4, Denver, CO 20277, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    6. Yolande Hiriart, 2004. "Aspects stratégiques d'une politique environnementale incitative," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 70(1), pages 53-77.
    7. Mads Greaker, 2004. "Industrial Competitiveness and Diffusion of New Pollution Abatement Technology - a new look at the Porter-hypothesis," Discussion Papers 371, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    8. Stähler, Frank, 1998. "Competitiveness and environmental policies in strategic environmental policy models," Kiel Working Papers 858, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    9. Riveiro, Dolores, 2008. "Environmental policy and commercial policy: The strategic use of environmental regulation," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 1183-1195, November.
    10. Bayindir-Upmann, Thorsten, 1998. "Interjurisdictional competition in emission taxes under imperfect competition of local firms," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 345-368, May.
    11. J. Neary, 2006. "International Trade and the Environment: Theoretical and Policy Linkages," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 33(1), pages 95-118, January.
    12. Vijay Mohan & Bharat Hazari, 2012. "Tax Policy When Countries Compete for Third Market Exports," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(5), pages 708-728, December.
    13. Philip C. Abbott & Panu K. S. Kallio, 1996. "Implications of Game Theory for International Agricultural Trade," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 78(3), pages 738-744.
    14. Csordas, Stefan, 2009. "The global welfare effects of international environmental cooperation," MPRA Paper 20787, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Dewit, Gerda & Leahy, Dermot, 2004. "Rivalry in uncertain export markets: commitment versus flexibility," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 195-209, October.
    16. Bagwell, Kyle & Wolinsky, Asher, 2002. "Game theory and industrial organization," Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications, in: R.J. Aumann & S. Hart (ed.), Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 49, pages 1851-1895, Elsevier.
    17. Juan Carlos Bárcena-Ruiz, 2006. "Environmental Taxes and First-Mover Advantages," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 35(1), pages 19-39, September.
    18. Fabio Antoniou & Phoebe Koundouri & Nikos Tsakiris, 2010. "Information Disclosure Under Different Modes of Regulation," DEOS Working Papers 1015, Athens University of Economics and Business.
    19. Fabio Antoniou & Efthymia Kyriakopoulou, 2019. "On the Strategic Effect of International Permits Trading on Local Pollution," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(3), pages 1299-1329, November.
    20. Bagwell, Kyle & Staiger, Robert W., 1994. "The sensitivity of strategic and corrective R&D policy in oligopolistic industries," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1-2), pages 133-150, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:reviec:v:18:y:2010:i:5:p:1001-1011. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0965-7576 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.