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The Conservation Multiplier

Author

Listed:
  • Bård Harstad

Abstract

EvEvery government that controls an exhaustible resource must decide whether to exploit it or to conserve and thereby let the subsequent government decide whether to exploit or conserve. This paper develops a model of this situation and shows when a small probability that some future government will exploit has a multiplier effect on earlier decisions. The multiplier can be taken advantage of by a lobby paying for exploitation, or by a donor compensating for conservation. The analysis also uncovers when compensations are optimally offered to the president, the party in power, the general public, or to the lobby group.

Suggested Citation

  • Bård Harstad, 2020. "The Conservation Multiplier," CESifo Working Paper Series 8283, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8283
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Donato Masciandaro, 2023. "Politicians, Trust and Financial Literacy: When Do Politicians Care?," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 23206, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    2. Costa, Francisco & Szerman, Dimitri & Assunção, Juliano, 2025. "The environmental costs of political interference: Evidence from power plants in the Amazon," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    3. Carolina Guerini & Donato Masciandaro & Alessia Papini, 2025. "Literacy and Financial Education: Private Providers, Public Certification and Political Preferences," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 11(2), pages 463-514, July.
    4. Harstad, Bard & Storesletten, Kjetil, 2023. "Conservation by Lending," Research Papers 4120, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    5. Raouf Boucekkine & Giorgio Fabbri & Salvatore Federico & Fausto Gozzi & Ted Loch-Temzelides & Cristiano Ricci, 2025. "Differential climate games with heterogenous players," AMSE Working Papers 2534, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    6. Donato Masciandaro, 2023. "Politicians, Trust, Financial Literacy and Financial Education: When Do Politicians Care?," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 23208, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    7. Bård Harstad, 2020. "Trade and Trees: How Trade Agreements Can Motivate Conservation Instead of Depletion," CESifo Working Paper Series 8569, CESifo.
    8. Foarta, Dana & Ting, Michael, 2023. "Organizational Capacity and Project Dynamics," CEPR Discussion Papers 17817, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Voss, Achim & Schopf, Mark, 2021. "Lobbying over exhaustible-resource extraction," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    10. Harstad, Bård & Kessler, Anke S., 2025. "Present bias in politics and self-committing treaties," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products

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