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The Greatest Externality Story (N)ever Told

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  • James McClure
  • Tyler Watts

Abstract

This article critiques current undergraduate economics textbooks’ treatment of externalities. Despite a tremendous scholarly pushback since 1920 to Pigou’s path-breaking writings, modern textbook authors fail to synthesize important critiques and extensions of externality theory and policy. The typical textbook treatment (a) does not distinguish pecuniary from technological externalities, (b) is silent about the invisible hand’s unintended and emergent consequences as a positive externality, (c) emphasizes negative relative to positive externalities, (d) ignores Coase’s critique of Pigouvian tax “solutions,†and (e) presents policy “solutions†to negative externalities that ignore inframarginal external benefits that may render “solutions†harmful to social welfare. Aside from attention to “The Coase Theorem†(excerpted from only about four pages of Coase’s voluminous writings), the typical textbook today discusses little of the scholarly critique that emerged in response to Pigou’s anti-market polemic. Imparting economics students with Pigouvian biases is potentially harmful to both them and society because it leaves them ill-prepared to critically assess policy proposals that are alleged to solve externality problems.

Suggested Citation

  • James McClure & Tyler Watts, 2016. "The Greatest Externality Story (N)ever Told," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 61(2), pages 157-177, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:amerec:v:61:y:2016:i:2:p:157-177
    DOI: 10.1177/0569434516652040
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ronald H. Coase, 2008. "The Institutional Structure of Production," Springer Books, in: Claude Ménard & Mary M. Shirley (ed.), Handbook of New Institutional Economics, chapter 2, pages 31-39, Springer.
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    4. R. H. Coase, 2013. "The Problem of Social Cost," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(4), pages 837-877.
    5. S. J. Liebowitz & Stephen E. Margolis, 1994. "Network Externality: An Uncommon Tragedy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 133-150, Spring.
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    7. Cecil E. Bohanon & John B. Horowitz & James E. McClure, 2014. "Saying Too Little, Too Late: Public Finance Textbooks and the Excess Burdens of Taxation," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 11(3), pages 277-296, September.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    externality; textbooks; Pigou; Coase; markets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate

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