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Learning about compliance under asymmetric information

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  • Arguedas, Carmen
  • Rousseau, Sandra

Abstract

Over time, inspection agencies gather information about firms’ pollution levels and this information may allow agencies to differentiate their monitoring strategies in the future. If a firm is less successful than its peers in reducing emissions, it faces the risk of being targeted for increased inspections in the next period. This risk of stricter monitoring might induce high-abatement cost firms to mimic low-abatement cost firms by choosing lower emission levels, while the latter might try to avoid being mimicked. We explain firms’ compliance decisions and the inspection agency's monitoring strategy by means of a signaling game which incorporates dynamic enforcement and learning. Interestingly, we show that the ongoing signaling game between firm types might lead to firms over-complying with the emission standard.

Suggested Citation

  • Arguedas, Carmen & Rousseau, Sandra, 2012. "Learning about compliance under asymmetric information," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 55-73.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:resene:v:34:y:2012:i:1:p:55-73
    DOI: 10.1016/j.reseneeco.2011.09.001
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    Cited by:

    1. Thierry Madiès & Ornella Tarola & Emmanuelle Taugourdeau, 2022. "Tax haven, pollution haven or both?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(6), pages 1527-1560, December.
    2. Angelo Antoci & Simone Borghesi & Gianluca Iannucci, 2021. "(Dis)honest bureaucrats and (non)compliant firms in an evolutionary game," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 321-344, May.
    3. Jessica Coria & Xiao-Bing Zhang, 2015. "State-Dependent Enforcement to Foster the Adoption of New Technologies," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 62(2), pages 359-381, October.
    4. Elbakidze, Levan & Beeson, Quinn, 2020. "State Regulatory Heterogeneity and Clean Water Act Compliance," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304638, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Dongryul Lee & Kyung Hwan Baik, 2017. "Concealment and verification over environmental regulations: a game-theoretic analysis," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 235-268, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Monitoring and enforcement; Pollution; Learning; Signaling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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