Factor Price Risk and the Diffusion of Conservation Technology: Evidence from the Water Industry

The paper examines the influence of factor price risk on factor-use efficiency through the adoption of conservation technology. The effect of a mean-preserving increase in factor price risk on optimal input-use efficiency is shown to be conditional on the own-price elasticity of factor use evaluated at the initial equilibrium. The conceptual analysis indicates that that there may be a discrepancy between the aggregate and firm-level effects of price risk on efficiency. Theoretical results are tested and confirmed using a unique data set from the water industry.