Global warming, alterations of ecosystems, and sunk investments all imply irreversible changes with uncertain future costs and benefits. Two concepts measure how this combination of uncertainty and irreversibility changes the value of preserving an ecosystem or postponing an investment. First,...

This paper contributes to the growing effort to synthesize the fields of trade policy and environmental policy. We discuss: the question of whether international trade undercuts unilateral internalization policies: the role of income constraints in environmental policy; and the possibility of...

Policy preference functions (PPFs) explicate trade-offs among various political economic groups concerned with the policy process. Estimation methods for PPFs are detailed. The stochastic nature of PPF parameters is discussed and a method for developing standard errors is introduced. Hypothesis...

This paper attempts to provide a balanced view of the neoclassical economists' perspective on trade liberalization, with an emphasis on the agricultural sector. I review the basic arguments in favor of competitive markets in general and free trade in particular. These arguments are based on...