In the seventies and eighties, the theory of exhaustible natural resources developed a branch, which was called the cartel-versus-fringe model, to characterize markets with one large coherent cartel and a big number of small suppliers named the fringe. It was considered appropriate to use the...

Resource management has to take account of the possibility of tipping points and regime shifts in ecological systems that provide the resources. This article focuses on the typical model of regime shifts in the ecological literature and analyzes optimal management and common-property issues when...

Ecological systems such as shallow lakes are usually non-linear and display discontinuities and hysteresis in their behaviour. These systems often also provide conflicting services as a resource and a waste sink. This implies that the economic analysis of these systems requires to solve a...

In terms of the number of signatories, one observes both large and small international environmental agreements. The theoretical literature, based on game theory, discusses different concepts and mechanisms for the stability of coalitions and has reached the conclusion that, under...

Recent research developments in common-pool resource models emphasize the importance of links with ecological systems and the presence of non-linearities, thresholds and multiple steady states. In a recent paper Kossioris et al. (2008) develop a methodology for deriving feedback Nash equilibria...

International environmental agreements aiming at correcting negative externalities generated by transboundary pollution are difficult to achieve for many reasons. Important obstacles arise from asymmetry in costs and benefits, and instability may occur due to the fact that coalitions of...

The Porter hypothesis suggests a double dividend in the sense that environmental policy improves both environment and competitiveness. The suggestion received strong criticism from economists mainly driven by the idea that if opportunities for higher competitiveness exist firms do not have to be...