This chapter surveys issues in positive second-best theory, specifically the theory of the optimal pricing of goods produced by public firmsthat is, firms whose objective is the maximization of social welfare. It is assumed that these firms, characteristically, display increasing returns to...

The purpose of the present paper is to focus on the potential inducement to retire earlier in the presence of social security and on the implied effects on lifetime savings. This problem is analyzed within the framework of a model of intertemporal utility maximization. The organization of this...