In the minimum cost spanning tree model we consider decentralized pricing rules, i.e. rules that cover at least the efficient cost while the price charged to each user only depends upon his own connection costs. We define a canonical pricing rule and provide two axiomatic characterizations....

The post-Kyoto negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have produced significant results such as the Bali Roadmap, Copenhagen Accord and Cancun Agreement, and clarified parties' plans for long-term emissions mitigation. This paper presents the...

Large-scale wind power transmission presents the power system with several challenges. The determination of the transmission tariff and the cost-sharing issue are potential obstacles which may influence the development of wind power. This paper analyses the incremental cost to the power system...

The Convention on Biological Diversity stipulates the principle of incremental cost for the international financing of biodiversity conservation. The international debate about the exact meaning of the concept and about its practical application focuses on the issues of baseline determination...

Many developing countries have tried to increase firm provision of training by providing subsidies funded by taxes proportional to the firm’s wage bill. These training funds, however,may backfire if the adverse effect of the tax on training incentives outweighs the positive effects of the...

Card payment systems are sometimes accused of taking from the poor and giving to the rich. The argument is as follows: High card fees are leading to higher retail prices for both, card users and cash users. However, high income card holders are receiving rewards when purchasing by card. The...

This paper examines the effect of imperfect labor market competition on the efficiency of compensation schemes in a setting with moral hazard, private information and risk-averse agents. Two vertically differentiated firms compete for agents by offering contracts with fixed and variable...

This article addresses the restructuration of the utilities sector/industry, a process generally described as deregulation. At the core of deregulation processes, not only in the EU, but also in the US, lies the replacement of old-fashioned forms of state regulation based on ownership control by...