A Differential game approach in the case of a polluting oligopoly

In this paper we propose an oligopolistic market model of pollution, where demand is not linear and firms are revenue maximizers. Additionally we assume that the rate of purification is very small tending to zero and that each firm accumulates a pollution share depending for example on firm’s size. The game ends up with Markov strategies employed by all firms. Our findings show that under conditions it is possible a marginal decrease on the total pollution stock to increase firms’ discounted revenues. A reallocation caused by a uniform decrease in all firms pollution, reorders the marginal change of the pollution stocks in reverse of the original order of the allowed pollution.Non linear strategies; Markov equilibrium; allowed pollution stock.

Cyclical and constant strategies in renewable resources extraction

This paper is concerned with the classic topic of intertemporal resource economics: the optimal harvesting of renewable natural resources over time by one and several resource owners with conflicting interests. The traditional management model, dating back to Plourde (1970), is extended towards a two–state model in which harvesting equipment is treated as a stock variable. As a consequence of this extension, an equilibrium dynamics with bifurcations and limit cycles occur. Next we discuss conflicts as a game with two types of players involved: the traditional fishermen armed with the basic equipment and the heavy equipment users. Both players have a common depletion function, thought as harvesting, which is dependent both on personal effort and on intensity of equipment’s usage.Renewable resources; exploitation of natural resources; differential games

Harvesting natural resources: management and conflicts

It is reasonable to consider the stock of any renewable resource as a capital stock and treat the exploitation of that resource in much the same way as one would treat accumulation of a capital stock. This has been done to some extent in earlier papers containing a discussion of this point of view. However, the analysis is much simpler than it appears in the literature especially since the interaction between markets and the natural biology dynamics has not been made clear. Moreover renewable resources are commonly analyzed in the context of models where the growth of the renewable resource under consideration is affected by two factors: the size of the resource itself and the rate of harvesting. This specification does not take into account that human activities other than harvesting can have an impact on the growth of the natural resource. Furthermore, natural resource harvesting are not productive factories. Fishery economic literature (based on the foundations of Gordon, 1954; Scott, 1955; and Smith, 1963) suggests particular properties of the ocean fishery which requires tools of analysis beyond those supplied by elementary economic theory. An analysis of the fishery must take into account the biological nature of fundamental capital, the fish and it must recognize the common property feature of the open sea fishery, so it must allow that the fundamental capital is the subject of exploitation. The purpose of this paper is the presentation of renewable resources dynamic models in the form of differential games aiming to extract the optimal equilibrium trajectories of the state and control variables for the optimal control economic problem. We show how methods of infinite horizon optimal control theory may be developed for renewable resources models.Renewable resources; exploitation of natural resources; dynamic optimization; optimal control

Economic valuation of coastal zone quality improvements

Individuals’ decision to use a particular coastal beach is influenced by their preferences and perceptions as well as beach’s characteristics. This study examines visitors’ attributes and desired site specific characteristics in order to determine the factors affecting willingness to pay for an improvement quality (environment, water as well as recreation activities) program. A contingent valuation survey is carried out in order to evaluate the economic benefits of improving coastal quality of beaches in a coastal line of an area in Central Greece (Volos) where persistent failures to meet the standards of the Blue Flag program are observed. Our empirical findings suggest that the major variables affecting respondents’ willingness to pay were related to income, age, gender, coastal recreational activities and environmental quality of the site as well as to previous environmental behavior and mainly if they had paid for environmental protection in the past.Coastal zone; contingent valuation; economic value of recreation; blue flags

Financial and real sector interactions:the case of Greece

In this study we try to detect the relationship between financial and real sector employing in the estimation procedure the recent time-series techniques of co-integration, vector error-correction modelling and Granger multivariate causality. We contribute to the existing literature by using for the first time a number of financial and economic variables for the case of Greece for the time period 1960-2005. Our empirical results reveal that the linkage between financial and real development is relatively weak in Greece and real sector plays the major role in the evolution of the financial system. The latter seems to promote growth only by increasing its competitiveness.Financial sector; real sector; Greek banks

Dynamic regulations in non –renewable resources oligopolistic markets

Traditional economic theory, up to the middle of the twentieth century, builds up the production functions regardless the inputs’ scarcity. In the last few decades has been clear that both the inputs are depletable quantities and a lot of constraints are imposed in their usage in order to ensure economic sustainability. Furthermore, the management of exploitation and use of natural resources (either exhaustible or renewable) has been discussed by analyzing dynamic models applying methods of Optimal Control Theory. This theory provides solutions that are concerned with a single decision maker who can control the model dynamics facing a certain performance index to be optimized. In fact, market structures or exploitation patterns are often oligopolistic, i.e. there are several decision makers whose policies influence each other. So, game theoretical approaches are introduced into the discussion. According to the theory of continuous time models of Optimal Control, the appropriate analogue of differential games is used. Roughly, this is the extension of Optimal Control, when there is exactly one decision maker, to the case of N(N≥ 2) decision makers interacting with each other.Nonrenewable resources; dynamic interaction; economic regulation;differential games

A Stackelberg Model on Taxing Polluting Firms

In this paper we propose a leader – follower dynamic model of taxation with the government imposing a tax to internalize externalities caused by polluting firms. As expected the Stackelberg games with the government acting as leader yield time inconsistent outcomes. We first show how time inconsistency can be avoided adopting specific utility functions. We then propose a pollution model that uses abatement as the value of accumulated pollution stock and find that the outcome of the proposed Stackelberg model is time consistent with an open – loop informational structure. This yields a tax factor that is time independent. Finally, we show that the result of the game is inefficient compared to the social planner dynamic game.Stackelberg model; dynamic leader–follower games

Social-economic integration of Greek repatriates from the former USSR: obstacles to entry into the Greek labor market

The purpose of this study is to examine the demographic and social/cultural characteristics of ethnic Greeks from the former USSR and the extent that these characteristics affect their integration into the Greek labor market. For achieving this target we employ logistic regression analysis to test a model to predict the case of being employed or not by considering various factors as explanatory variables. A field research was carried out for the first time in the broader area of West Athens and a total of 6994 respondents are used to estimate the parameters of this model. From past experience we identify 13 major variables contributing to employment or not. The results show an overall significant model with 6 of the 13 variables statistically significant.Ethnic Greeks; migration; logistic regression

Optimal acid rain abatement policy in Europe

Acid rain causes greater environmental damage than would occur if countries act cooperatively. Based on new estimates of sulphur abatement cost functions, the potential gains from cooperation are calculated for Europe. Various cooperative abatement rates are compared with the rates implied by recent international agreements. The distinction is made between primary and secondary abatement, and their respective roles are discussed.Environmental Management; abatement; acid rain; cooperation

Economic incentives for optimal sulphur abatement in Europe

This paper reviews and develops a theoretical and empirical representation of economic incentives for the implementation of pollution control strategies. A number of alternative available economic instruments may be thought of which, if applied internationally, could encourage implementation of the desired abatement strategies by countries. The paper considers means of pushing the countries to minimize abatement cost with them. A comparison between the pollution targets achieved by the imposition of a uniform charge rate and by differentiated charge rates is discussed and empirical results are provided with associated conclusions. These results are then compared with a simple standards setting in the form of critical loads, in order to see in an empirical way if economic instruments work better than regulations.Economic instruments; optimal abatement; sulphur emissions; acid rain; mathematical programming, Europe