Many years ago, R. McKenzie (1981) set out to expose the hidden assumptions underlying the orthodox case for the collectivization of charity as put forward by Milton Friedman (1962). In doing so, he argued that collectivization may reduce the degree of transfers and this will necessarily make...

In a paper published in this journal, Cowen (2002) argues that whenever compliance with norms is supported by the forces of esteem, there is “too little” norm compliance. In this paper, we show that Cowen’s logic is flawed – that when the operation of esteem-based norms is formally...

Dwight Lee (1999) shows that the collectivity may be better, not worse off, when a technically "inefficient" pollution abatement technology is adopted. The purpose of this note is two fold. First, to show that once rent-seeking is incorporated into the analysis, Lee's qualified support for a...