IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecmode/v146y2025ics0264999325000240.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is implicit cooperation reasonable for the economy? Corporate environmentalism under Kantian behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Kurata, Hiroshi
  • Long, Ngo Van

Abstract

We investigate the effects on the market when firms adopt Kantian behavior, inherently fostering implicit cooperation in the context of corporate environmentalism. We focus on oligopolistic firms’ environmental technology investments and compare investment levels under the Kantian equilibrium with those under the Nash equilibrium and socially optimal levels. When firms are concerned about the environmental impact of others, their environmental investment under the Kantian equilibrium exceeds that under the Nash equilibrium. Furthermore, Nash equilibrium investment is consistently below the social optimum, while Kantian equilibrium investment can either match or approach the socially optimal level. The Kantian equilibrium investment may exceed the socially optimal level if a firm have substantial environmental concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • Kurata, Hiroshi & Long, Ngo Van, 2025. "Is implicit cooperation reasonable for the economy? Corporate environmentalism under Kantian behavior," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:146:y:2025:i:c:s0264999325000240
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107029
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264999325000240
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107029?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. d'Aspremont, Claude & Jacquemin, Alexis, 1990. "Cooperative and Noncooperative R&D in Duopoly with Spillovers: Erratum," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 641-642, June.
    2. Lyon,Thomas P. & Maxwell,John W., 2004. "Corporate Environmentalism and Public Policy," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521819473, May.
    3. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2020. "Kant–Nash tax competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(5), pages 1108-1147, October.
    4. Yanase, Akihiko, 2013. "Corporate Environmentalism in Dynamic Oligopoly," Strategic Behavior and the Environment, now publishers, vol. 3(3), pages 223-250, March.
    5. Nicholas Z. Muller & Robert Mendelsohn, 2012. "Efficient Pollution Regulation: Getting the Prices Right: Corrigendum (Mortality Rate Update)," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(1), pages 613-616, February.
    6. d'ASPREMONT, Claude & JACQUEMIN, Alexis, 1988. "Cooperative and noncooperative R&D in duopoly with spillovers," LIDAM Reprints CORE 823, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    7. Akihiko Yanase, 2010. "Trade, Strategic Environmental Policy, and Global Pollution," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 493-512, August.
    8. Kamien, Morton I & Muller, Eitan & Zang, Israel, 1992. "Research Joint Ventures and R&D Cartels," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(5), pages 1293-1306, December.
    9. Walz, Uwe & Wellisch, Dietmar, 1997. "Is free trade in the interest of exporting countries when there is ecological dumping?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 275-291, November.
    10. Naoto Jinji, 2013. "Is Corporate Environmentalism Good for Domestic Welfare?," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(5), pages 901-911, November.
    11. Ngo Long, 2016. "Kant-Nash Equilibria in a Quantity-Setting Oligopoly," Springer Series in Game Theory, in: Pierre von Mouche & Federico Quartieri (ed.), Equilibrium Theory for Cournot Oligopolies and Related Games, pages 179-201, Springer.
    12. Alger, Ingela & Weibull, Jörgen W., 2016. "Evolution and Kantian morality," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 56-67.
    13. Roemer, John E., 2015. "Kantian optimization: A microfoundation for cooperation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 45-57.
    14. Murat Donduran & Burak Ünveren, 2021. "A Kantian Analysis of Pricing and R & D," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 58(4), pages 583-605, June.
    15. John E. Roemer, 2010. "Kantian Equilibrium," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 112(1), pages 1-24, March.
    16. Grafton, R. Quentin & Kompas, Tom & Long, Ngo Van, 2017. "A brave new world? Kantian–Nashian interaction and the dynamics of global climate change mitigation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 31-42.
    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. Bezin, Emeline & Ponthière, Gregory, 2019. "The tragedy of the commons and socialization: Theory and policy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    2. Eichner, Thomas & Pethig, Rüdiger, 2024. "International environmental agreements when countries behave morally," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    3. Eichner, Thomas & Pethig, Rüdiger, 2022. "Kantians defy the economists’ mantra of uniform Pigovian emissions taxes," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    4. Schinkel, Maarten Pieter & Treuren, Leonard, 2024. "Corporate social responsibility by joint agreement," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    5. Eichner, Thomas & Runkel, Marco, 2025. "Animal welfare, moral consumers and the optimal regulation of animal food production," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    6. Maarten Pieter Schinkel & Leonard Treuren, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility by Joint Agreement," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 21-063/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    7. Yasuhiko Nakamura, 2022. "Endogenous Determination of Strategies in a Kantian Duopoly," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 519-533, December.
    8. Grunfeld, Leo A., 2003. "Meet me halfway but don't rush: absorptive capacity and strategic R&D investment revisited," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(8), pages 1091-1109, October.
    9. Prokop, Jacek & Karbowski, Adam, 2013. "R&D cooperation and industry cartelization," Economics Discussion Papers 2013-41, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    10. Levy, Nadav, 2012. "Technology sharing and tacit collusion," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 204-216.
    11. Rajeev K. Goel, 2023. "Seek foreign funds or technology? Relative impacts of different spillover modes on innovation," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1466-1488, August.
    12. Banal-Estañol, Albert & Duso, Tomaso & Seldeslachts, Jo & Szücs, Florian, 2022. "R&D Spillovers through RJV Cooperation," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 1-10.
    13. Dequiedt, V. & Versaevel, B., 2004. "Patent pools and the dynamic incentives to R&D," Working Papers 200412, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    14. Vasileios Zikos, 2010. "R&D Collaboration Networks in Mixed Oligopoly," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 77(1), pages 189-212, July.
    15. Buccella, Domenico & Fanti, Luciano & Gori, Luca, 2021. "A contribution to the theory of R&D investments," GLO Discussion Paper Series 940, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    16. Scaringella, Laurent & Burtschell, François, 2017. "The challenges of radical innovation in Iran: Knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity highlights — Evidence from a joint venture in the construction sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 151-169.
    17. Changying Li & Jianhu Zhang, 2013. "Dynamic Games of R&D Competition in a Differentiated Duopoly," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 169(4), pages 660-679, December.
    18. Subhasish Chowdhury & Roman Sheremeta, 2011. "A generalized Tullock contest," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 147(3), pages 413-420, June.
    19. Besanko, David & Tong, Jian & Wu, Jianjun, 2016. "Subsidizing research programs with "if" and "when" uncertainty in the face of severe informational constraints," Discussion Paper Series In Economics And Econometrics 1605, Economics Division, School of Social Sciences, University of Southampton.
    20. Odagiri, Hiroyuki & Nakamura, Yoshiaki & Shibuya, Minoru, 1997. "Research consortia as a vehicle for basic research: The case of a fifth generation computer project in Japan," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 191-207, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects

    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:eee:ecmode:v:146:y:2025:i:c:s0264999325000240. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30411 .

    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.