This paper examines equity and efficiency properties of voluntary international environmental agreements. A classical welfare economics framework is used while focusing on one particular instrument, i.e. emissions trading. It is demonstrated that if emission permit allocations face no...

Consider the choices available to a shopper driving to a city and trying to park downtown. One option, typical to many cities, is to follow the signposts to an off-street parking facility, which is often privately operated. Another option is to search for an on-street spot. If this proves...

The paper reviews the role of taxation in controlling transport externalities. It argues that the design of transport taxes should take into account pre-existing tax distortions in the economy and looks at the implications of restrictions on the transport instruments at the disposal of the...

First, this article uses standard welfare economics to illustrate the market failure and policy coordination problems caused by transboundary pollution problems in general and global warming in particular. Secondly, a brief overview is given of the main results obtained by empirical modelling...

A monopolist supplies a homogenous good to two geographically separated markets. Production costs and demand conditions are di?erent in each market. A line with a limited transport capacity connects both markets. The paper compares two institutional frameworks: (1) exclusive access to the line...

This paper applies the traditional definition of equity and efficiency in economics to transport pricing. It is shown how this framework can also be used to define acceptability. The problems and potential of this approach are illustrated by examining the effects for Belgium of replacing current...

We aim to integrate information, monitoring and enforcement costs into the choice of environmental policy instruments. We use a static partial equilibrium framework to study different combinations of regulatory instruments (taxes, standards...) and enforcement instruments (criminal fine,...

This paper clarifies an issue in the Hirshleifer and Rasmusen-Tsebelis controversy on the effects of penalties on crime: what is the effect of penalties if the transgression of law has a discrete nature and if the law enforcer cannot act as Stackelberg leader? We differentiate between technical...

Transport activity is inextricably linked with environmental damage. Economists traditionally urge policy makers to adopt pricing solutions, in particular taxes, to reduce environmental damage rather than quantity restrictions or standards. This chapter examines environmental pricing, defined...