The problem of choosing second-best trade policies is modified by including sector-specific policies as well as tariffs. Formulae for the optimal tariff and sector-specific subsidy are derived and used to study the design of optimal policy menus. The theory is applied to a computable general...

“Prices versus quantities” (Weitzman 1974), a hugely influential paper, is widely cited (and taught) in current debates about the best policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The paper’s criterion for ranking policies suggests that technological uncertainty favors taxes over cap and...

I offer a selective review of discounting and climate policy. Analytic and numerical models show that different assumptions greatly change the degree to which decisions about climate policy depend on the discount rate. I discuss a claim that standard models exaggerate the current generation’s...

If a durable-good monopoly can use either of two technologies whose properties are known to consumers, the monopoly uses only the technology with the lowest average cost at low levels of production. If consumers know only about technologies in use, the monopoly may use an inferior technology...