The Tragedy of the Commons and Economic Growth: Why Does Capital Flow from Poor to Rich Countries?

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 1992
Volume: 100
Issue: 6
Pages: 1208-31

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The authors analyze a differential game in which all interest groups have access to a common capital stock. They show that the introduction of a technology that has inferior productivity but enjoys private access may ameliorate the tragedy of the commons. The authors use this model to analyze capital flight: in many poor countries, property rights are not well defined; since "safe" bank accounts in rich countries (the inferior technology) are available to citizens of these countries, they engage in capital flight. They show that the occurrence of capital flight does not imply that opening the capital account reduces growth and welfare. Copyright 1992 by University of Chicago Press.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:v:100:y:1992:i:6:p:1208-31
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29