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No Externalities: A Characterization of Efficiency and Incentive Compatibility with Public Goods

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Listed:
  • Joseph M. Ostroy

    (UCLA)

  • Uzi Segal

    (Boston College)

Abstract

We show that efficient anonymous incentive compatible (dominant strategy) mechanisms for public goods eliminate externalities, i.e., each individual is unable to change the welfare of anyone else. The characterization is used to derive existence and non-existence results for models with a finite number of individuals and to explain existence results in the continuum. A similar characterization and conclusions are demonstrated for private goods in [7]. However, unlike private goods, elimination of externalities with public goods implies that individuals cannot change the outcome. Hence, such mechanisms provide only weak incentives for truth-telling.

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph M. Ostroy & Uzi Segal, 2010. "No Externalities: A Characterization of Efficiency and Incentive Compatibility with Public Goods," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 769, Boston College Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:boc:bocoec:769
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Groves, Theodore & Loeb, Martin, 1975. "Incentives and public inputs," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 211-226, August.
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    7. Makowski, Louis & Ostroy, Joseph M. & Segal, Uzi, 1999. "Efficient Incentive Compatible Economies Are Perfectly Competitive," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 169-225, April.
    8. Mitsui, Toshihide, 1983. "Asymptotic efficiency of the pivotal mechanism with general project space," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 318-331, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Makowski, Louis & Ostroy, Joseph M., 2013. "From revealed preference to preference revelation," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 71-81.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public goods; private goods; no externalities; incentive compatibility; duality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

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