We consider the problem of efficiency and existence of a competitive equilibrium in exhaustible resource markets where extraction costs are nonconvex. Nonconvexity is shown to imply that (1) (efficient) extraction ceases to the left of the minimum efficient scale, i.e., where average costs...

If average costs in a nonrenewable resource industry are U-shaped, a competitive equilibrium may not be optimal and, indeed, may not exist. Although the differential equation that describes the change in the rate of extraction is the same for planner and firm, the boundary conditions obtained...

Abstract: We reconsider the problem of inefficiency and nonexistence of a competitive equilibrium in exhaustible resource markets where extraction costs are nonconvex. The existence of a backstop technology (which induces a flat portion of the industry demand curve) restores both existence and...