When credit markets to finance investment in human capital are missing, the competitive equilibrium allocation is inefficient. When generations overlap, this failure can be mitigated by properly designed social arrangements. We show that public financing of education and public pensions can be...

In this paper, we model an overlapping generation economy affected by an unexpected immigration shock and determine how households may insure themselves against “immigration risk”. We use the model to study the impact of immigration on (i) the welfare of different generations, (ii) the...

When credit markets to finance investment in the human capital of young people are missing, the competitive equilibrium allocation is inefficient. When generations overlap, this failure can be mitigated by properly designed social institutions such as public education and public pensions. We...

In “Eldred and Fair Use,” Posner comments that awarding a monopoly over Mickey Mouse avoids the congestion problem that occurs with open access highways. Is the public domain a commons like an open access highway? No, it is not.