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UNDERPRICING IN PUBLIC LOTTERIES: A CRITIQUE OF USER‐PAY AND ALL‐PAY TARIFFS
Author(s) -
SCROGIN DAVID
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
economic inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1465-7295
pISSN - 0095-2583
DOI - 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2007.00084.x
Subject(s) - comparative statics , economics , rationing , microeconomics , revenue , economic surplus , outcome (game theory) , public economics , welfare , finance , market economy , health care , economic growth
A body of literature spanning from medical ethics to public economics has amassed regarding the rationing of underpriced public resources. This study investigates the effects of price on entry, individual and aggregate expected consumer surplus, and tax revenues in user‐pay and all‐pay (AP) lotteries. Comparative statics indicate that expected surplus may increase (decrease) as price increases (decreases) if entry is sufficiently responsive though entry in AP lotteries is inelastic at all prices. Further, the lotteries are shown to be outcome equivalent under revenue equivalency. Selected results are evaluated numerically with simulations performed across a broad class of distributions describing individual private values. ( JEL D45, D61, H42)