Calculation of a Population Externality

Henning Bohn and Charles Stuart

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2015, vol. 7, issue 2, 61-87

Abstract: It is known that when people generate externalities, a birth also generates an externality and efficiency requires a Pigou tax/subsidy on having children. The size of the externality from a birth is important for studying policy. We calculate the size of this "population externality" in a specific case: we consider a maintained hypothesis that greenhouse gas emissions are a serious problem and assume government reacts by optimally restricting emissions. Calculated population externalities are large under many assumptions (JEL D62, H23, J11, J13, Q54, Q58)

JEL-codes: D62 H23 J11 J13 Q54 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
Note: DOI: 10.1257/pol.20130012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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