Abstract
This paper examines the possibility of immiserizing growth in an economy with a private and a pure public good. Our analysis shows that increases in resource endowments and/or technical improvements affecting the public good will be welfare-improving when the two commodities are normal and a Nash equilibrium exists. When substitution effects are strong, immiserizing growth is likely to characterize technical advances in the private good production.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bergstrom T, Blume L, Varian H (1986) On the private provision of public goods. J Publ Econ 29:25–49
Bhagwati J (1958) Immiserizing growth: a geometrical note. Rev Econ Stud 25:201–205
Cornes R, Sandler T (1986) The theory of externalities, public goods, and club goods. Cambridge University Press, New York
Eaton J, Panagariya A (1982) Growth and welfare in a small, open economy. Economica 49: 409–419
Feldman A (1980) Welfare economics and social choice theory. Nijhoff, Amsterdam
Johnson HG (1967) The possibility of income losses from increased efficiency or factor accumulation in the presence of tariffs. Econ J 77:151–154
Olson M (1965) The logic of collective action. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass
Samuelson PA (1953) Consumption theorems in terms of overcompensation rather than indifference comparisons. Economica 20:1–19
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments of two anonymous referees. Any remaining shortcomings are solely those of the authors.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cornes, R., Sandler, T. Public goods, growth, and welfare. Soc Choice Welfare 6, 243–251 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00295862
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00295862