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The Optimal Number of Firms in the Commons: A Dynamic Approach

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  • Charles F. Mason
  • Stephen Polasky

Abstract

The authors consider a common-property resource sold in imperfectly competitive markets. There is a dynamic externality (current harvests lower future stocks, raising future harvest costs) and a static (crowding) externality. Increasing industry size raises costs but lowers prices; thus, it has ambiguous welfare effects. The optimal industry size typically changes over time, so that a first-best outcome cannot be obtained with a fixed number of firms. Single-firm exploitation is optimal only under special circumstances. The socially optimal open loop steady-state industry size corresponds to the static optimum; both generally differ from the closed-loop steady-state optimum.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles F. Mason & Stephen Polasky, 1997. "The Optimal Number of Firms in the Commons: A Dynamic Approach," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 30(4), pages 1143-1160, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:cje:issued:v:30:y:1997:i:4:p:1143-60
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    Cited by:

    1. repec:tiu:tiucen:200880 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Charles Mason & Stephen Polasky, 2002. "Strategic Preemption in a Common Property Resource: A Continuous Time Approach," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 23(3), pages 255-278, November.
    3. D. Dragone & L. Lambertini & A. Palestini, 2017. "Emission taxation, green innovations and inverted-U aggregate R&D efforts in a linear state oligopoly game," Working Papers wp2000, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    4. Tarui, Nori & Mason, Charles F. & Polasky, Stephen & Ellis, Greg, 2008. "Cooperation in the commons with unobservable actions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 37-51, January.
    5. Tasneem, Dina & Engle-Warnick, Jim & Benchekroun, Hassan, 2017. "An experimental study of a common property renewable resource game in continuous time," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 91-119.
    6. Charles F. Mason & Victoria I. Umanskaya & Edward B. Barbier, 2018. "Trade, Transboundary Pollution, and Foreign Lobbying," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 70(1), pages 223-248, May.
    7. Lambertini, Luca, 2021. "Regulating the tragedy of commons: Nonlinear feedback solutions of a differential game with a dual interpretation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    8. Croutzet, Alexandre & Lasserre, Pierre, 2017. "Optimal completeness of property rights on renewable resources in the presence of market power," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 16-32.
    9. Feichtinger, Gustav & Lambertini, Luca & Leitmann, George & Wrzaczek, Stefan, 2022. "Managing the tragedy of commons and polluting emissions: A unified view," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 303(1), pages 487-499.
    10. L. Lambertini, 2014. "On the Interplay between Resource Extraction and Polluting Emissions in Oligopoly," Working Papers wp976, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    11. McCarthy, Nancy & Sadoulet, Elisabeth & de Janvry, Alain, 2001. "Common Pool Resource Appropriation under Costly Cooperation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 297-309, November.
    12. Ellis, Christopher J., 2001. "Common Pool Equities: An Arbitrage Based Non-cooperative Solution to the Common Pool Resource Problem," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 140-155, September.
    13. Benchekroun, Hassan & Gaudet, Gérard, 2015. "On the effects of mergers on equilibrium outcomes in a common property renewable asset oligopoly," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 209-223.
    14. Basak Bayramoglu, 2006. "Transboundary Pollution in the Black Sea: Comparison of Institutional Arrangements," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 35(4), pages 289-325, December.
    15. Lori Bennear & Robert Stavins, 2007. "Second-best theory and the use of multiple policy instruments," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 37(1), pages 111-129, May.
    16. Lin Lin & Hsien-Chang Kuo & I-Liang Lin, 2008. "Merger and optimal number of firms: an integrated simulation approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(18), pages 2413-2421.
    17. List, John A. & Mason, Charles F., 2001. "Optimal Institutional Arrangements for Transboundary Pollutants in a Second-Best World: Evidence from a Differential Game with Asymmetric Players," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 277-296, November.
    18. Dragone Davide & Lambertini Luca & Palestini Arsen & Tampieri Alessandro, 2013. "On the Optimal Number of Firms in the Commons: Cournot vs Bertrand," Mathematical Economics Letters, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 25-34, October.
    19. Damania, Richard & Bulte, Erwin H., 2007. "The economics of wildlife farming and endangered species conservation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(3-4), pages 461-472, May.
    20. Benchekroun, Hassan & Ray Chaudhuri, Amrita, 2011. "Environmental policy and stable collusion: The case of a dynamic polluting oligopoly," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 479-490, April.
    21. Mason, Charles F. & Phillips, Owen R., 1997. "Mitigating the Tragedy of the Commons through Cooperation: An Experimental Evaluation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 148-172, October.
    22. Dragone, Davide & Lambertini, Luca & Palestini, Arsen, 2022. "Emission taxation, green innovations and inverted-U aggregate R&D efforts in a linear state differential game," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 62-68.
    23. Chermak, Janie M. & Krause, Kate, 2002. "Individual Response, Information, and Intergenerational Common Pool Problems," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 47-70, January.
    24. Ana Espinola-Arredondo & Felix Munoz-Garcia, "undated". "Entry Deterrence in the Commons with Multiple Incumbents," Working Papers 2012-1, School of Economic Sciences, Washington State University.
    25. F. Delbono & L. Lambertini, 2014. "Optimal firm' mix in oligopoly with twofold environmental externality," Working Papers wp955, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.

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