The Economics of Transnational Commons

by Dasgupta, Partha; Mäler, Karl-Göran; Vercelli, Alessandro

• ISBN13: 9780198292203
• ISBN10: 0198292201
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-02-19
• Publisher: Clarendon Press

Summary

Transnational commons, cross-border areas without well-defined property rights, have long been ignored in 'official' development economics. This volume redresses the balance by adopting an environmental approach which stresses the importance of shared natural resources and the links betweenacute poverty and environmental degradation. The Economics of Transnational Commons draws together eminent contributors from fields as diverse as law, population studies, social anthropology, biological sciences, and economics, to present authoritative accounts that combine empirical case-studies with rigorous theoretical foundations. Despitethe milti-disciplinary approach, the main focus of the articles is the same: that the reciprocal externalities and problems of free-riding created by any common resource are complicated in the case of transnational commons by difficulties in monitoring, enforcement, and unequal access toinformation. Often using theories of negotiation taken from game theory, the studies then suggest possible solutions, both at an institutional and educational level. In order to make these materials suitable for teaching purposes, the authors have been encouraged to survey their topics rather than present their most recent findings. A companion publication, The Environment and Emerging Development Issues Volumes 1-11 (edited by Dasgupta and Mahler), deals withnational environmental issues.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	xiii	(1)
List of Tables	xiv	(1)
Abbreviations	xv	(1)
Notes on Contributors	xvi
1. Introduction	1	(16)
Partha Dasgupta
Karl-Goran Maler
Alessandro Vercelli
2. Game-Theoretic Models of Bargaining: An Introduction for Economists Studying the Transnational Commons	17	(18)
Roger B. Myerson
3. International River Basins: Pervasive Unidirectional Externalities	35	(42)
Peter Rogers
4. The Interdependence between Environment and Development: Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea	77	(20)
Ignazio Musu
5. The Value of Biodiversity	97	(21)
Paul R. Ehrlich
Anne H. Ehrlich
6. Population Growth, Physical Resources, and Human Resources in Sub-Saharan Africa	118	(23)
John C. Caldwell
Pat Caldwell
7. Global Commons: Can They Be Managed?	141	(31)
A.L. Hollick
R.N. Cooper
8. How Should International Greenhouse Gas Agreements Be Designed?	172	(20)
Michael Hoel
9. The International Protection of the Environment: Voluntary Agreements among Sovereign Countries	192	(18)
Carlo Carraro
Domenico Siniscalco
10. Protecting the Transnational Commons	210	(10)
Robert Dorfman
11. Implications of a World Economy for Environmental Policy and Law	220	(18)
Lynton Keith Caldwell
12. Cultural Beliefs as a Common Resource in an Integrating World	238	(59)
Avner Greif
13. Cultural Diversity in the Global Ecumene	297	(12)
Ulf Hannerz
Index	309