diff --git a/content/papers/1.md b/content/papers/1.md index a9dd18b..45b7321 100644 --- a/content/papers/1.md +++ b/content/papers/1.md @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ summary: "This paper investigates the optimal allocation of common-pool resource ##### Abstract -Rising competition in the commons poses risks of resource depletion and congestion. Conversely, consolidation by larger, longer-lived firms tends to internalize more of these externalities, but at the expense of higher markups and reduced consumer welfare. To navigate these competing concerns, this paper develops a model of common-pool industry dynamics and applies it to the 19th-century American whaling industry. The findings suggest that the industry over-harvested whales in the early periods, resulting in inefficient production later on. A monopoly could have partially mitigated these inefficiencies, but it would have restricted harvesting more than a social planner would. The optimal Pigouvian tax that fully internalizes the shadow values of whaling could have achieved a socially efficient allocation. +Rising competition in the commons poses risks of resource depletion and congestion. Conversely, consolidation by larger, longer-lived firms tends to internalize more of these externalities, but at the expense of higher markups. To navigate these competing concerns, this paper develops a model of common-pool industry dynamics and applies it to the 19th-century American whaling industry. The findings suggest that the industry over-harvested whales in the early periods, resulting in inefficient production later on. A monopoly could have partially mitigated these inefficiencies while restricting output more than a social planner would. The optimal Pigouvian tax that fully internalizes the shadow values of whaling could have achieved a socially efficient allocation. ---