IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/gamebe/v135y2022icp16-40.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Issue linkage

Author

Listed:
  • Currarini, S.
  • Marchiori, C.

Abstract

Issue linkage is often advocated as a powerful mechanism to encourage cooperation on issues where free-riding incentives are significant. The basic idea is to link cooperation on such issues with cooperation on issues that provide (partially) excludable benefits and are therefore less susceptible to free-riding. In this paper, we take a coalition formation approach and study the effects of issue linkage on overall cooperation levels and welfare. We show that, when the linked issues are independent, issue linkage is not necessarily welfare improving; in fact, unless the less critical issue is almost perfectly excludable, issue linkage leads to a welfare loss. By contrast, a generalized enlargement of cooperation and an increase in welfare are obtainable when the linked issues are “complements”. Using concepts from network theory, we further provide insights into the design of cost-effective (minimally connected) linkage architectures when more than two issues are at stake.

Suggested Citation

  • Currarini, S. & Marchiori, C., 2022. "Issue linkage," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 16-40.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:135:y:2022:i:c:p:16-40
    DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2022.05.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899825622000859
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.geb.2022.05.009?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alejandro Caparrós & Eric Giraud-Héraud & Abdelhakim Hammoudi & Tarik Tazdaït, 2011. "Coalition Stability with Heterogeneous Agents," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 31(1), pages 286-296.
    2. Conconi, Paola & Perroni, Carlo, 2002. "Issue linkage and issue tie-in in multilateral negotiations," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(2), pages 423-447, August.
    3. Henrik Horn & Petros C. Mavroidis, 2014. "Multilateral environmental agreements in the WTO: Silence speaks volumes," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 10(1), pages 147-166, March.
    4. Dritan Osmani & Richard Tol, 2010. "The Case of two Self-Enforcing International Agreements for Environmental Protection with Asymmetric Countries," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 36(2), pages 93-119, August.
    5. Bloch, Francis & de Clippel, Geoffroy, 2010. "Cores of combined games," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 145(6), pages 2424-2434, November.
    6. Carraro, Carlo & Siniscalco, Domenico, 1993. "Strategies for the international protection of the environment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 309-328, October.
    7. Barrett, Scott, 1997. "The strategy of trade sanctions in international environmental agreements," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 345-361, November.
    8. Spagnolo, G., 1999. "Issue Linkage, Delegation, and International Policy Cooperation," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 9913, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    9. Kemfert, Claudia, 2004. "Climate coalitions and international trade: assessment of cooperation incentives by issue linkage," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 455-465, March.
    10. Matthew O Jackson & Hugo F Sonnenschein, 2007. "Overcoming Incentive Constraints by Linking Decisions -super-1," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 75(1), pages 241-257, January.
    11. Ignatius J. Horstmann & James R. Markusen & Jack Robles, 2005. "Issue Linking in Trade Negotiations: Ricardo Revisited or No Pain No Gain," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(2), pages 185-204, May.
    12. William Nordhaus, 2015. "Climate Clubs: Overcoming Free-Riding in International Climate Policy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(4), pages 1339-1370, April.
    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. Thomas Kuhn & Radomir Pestow & Anja Zenker, 2019. "Building Climate Coalitions on Preferential Free Trade Agreements," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(2), pages 539-569, October.
    2. Thomas Kuhn & Radomir Pestow & Anja Zenker, 2018. "Endogenous Climate Coalitions and Free Trade - Building the Missing Link," Chemnitz Economic Papers 018, Department of Economics, Chemnitz University of Technology.
    3. Thomas Kuhn & Radomir Pestow & Anja Zenker, 2017. "Building Climate Coalitions on Preferential Free Trade Agreements," Chemnitz Economic Papers 011, Department of Economics, Chemnitz University of Technology, revised Jul 2017.
    4. Effrosyni Diamantoudi & Eftichios Sartzetakis & Stefania Strantza, 2018. "International Environmental Agreements and Trading Blocks - Can issue linkage enhance cooperation?," Discussion Paper Series 2018_07, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Jun 2018.
    5. Achim Hagen & Jan Schneider, 2017. "Boon or Bane? Trade Sanctions and the Stability of International Environmental Agreements," Working Papers V-403-17, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Sep 2017.
    6. Matteo Roggero & Leonhard Kähler & Achim Hagen, 2019. "Strategic cooperation for transnational adaptation: lessons from the economics of climate change mitigation," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 395-410, October.
    7. Effrosyni Diamantoudi & Eftichios Sartzetakis & Stefania Strantza, 2018. "International Environmental Agreements and Trading Blocks - Can issue linkage enhance cooperation?," Discussion Paper Series 2018_07, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Jun 2018.
    8. Bård Harstad, 2020. "Trade and Trees: How Trade Agreements Can Motivate Conservation Instead of Depletion," CESifo Working Paper Series 8569, CESifo.
    9. Al Khourdajie, Alaa & Finus, Michael, 2020. "Measures to enhance the effectiveness of international climate agreements: The case of border carbon adjustments," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    10. Christoph Böhringer & Thomas F. Rutherford, 2017. "Paris after Trump: An Inconvenient Insight," CESifo Working Paper Series 6531, CESifo.
    11. Hagen, Achim & Schopf, Mark, 2024. "Political influence on international climate agreements with border carbon adjustment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    12. Kováč, Eugen & Schmidt, Robert C., 2021. "A simple dynamic climate cooperation model," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    13. Emilson C. D. Silva, 2017. "Self-enforcing agreements under unequal nationally determined contributions," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 24(4), pages 705-729, August.
    14. Harstad, Bård, 2023. "Pledge-and-review bargaining," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    15. Achim Hagen & Klaus Eisenack, 2019. "Climate Clubs Versus Single Coalitions: The Ambition Of International Environmental Agreements," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(03), pages 1-19, August.
    16. Achim Hagen & Leonhard Kaehler & Klaus Eisenack, 2016. "Transnational Environmental Agreements with Heterogeneous Actors," Working Papers V-387-16, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2016.
    17. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2015. "Is trade liberalization conducive to the formation of climate coalitions?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 22(6), pages 932-955, December.
    18. Hagen, Achim & Schneider, Jan, 2021. "Trade sanctions and the stability of climate coalitions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    19. Okada, Akira, 2023. "A dynamic climate negotiation game achieving full cooperation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 657-669.
    20. Tibor Besedeš & Erik P. Johnson & Xinping Tian, 2020. "Economic determinants of multilateral environmental agreements," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(4), pages 832-864, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Issue linkage; International agreements; coalition formation; Networks; Public goods;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C71 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Cooperative Games
    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods
    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations

    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:gamebe:v:135:y:2022:i:c:p:16-40. 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/622836 .

    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.