On Financing Global and International Public Goods

Sandler, Todd

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: AGGREGATE LEVEL;    AGRICULTURE;    AIR POLLUTION;    AIR QUALITY;    CARBON;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2638
RP-ID  :  WPS2638

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Three dimensions of publicgoods--nonrivalry of benefits, the possibility of beingexcluded from benefits, and the technology for aggregatingpublic supply--determine what kinds of institutions andtransnational actions are required for their provision andfinancing. For some public goods--especially for those forwhich the exclusion of nonpayers is not feasible--theseproperties are such that a public sector push is needed orthe good will not be financed. This push can come from asupranational structure (such as the World Bank, the UnitedNations, or the European Union) that directly or indirectlycollects the requisite fees from its members to underwriteinternational public goods (IPGs). To understand the role ofinternational institutions in promoting IPGs, one mustascertain the nature of the good and whether it requires apush, a coax, or no assistance from a supranationalstructure or influential nation(s) and agents (such ascharitable foundations). The transnational community shouldexplicitly direct scarce resources only to those global andinternational public goods that need either a significantpush or only a smaller coax by the transnational community.When clubs or markets can finance international publicgoods, the community should sit back and let incentivesguide the actions of sovereign nations.