Eco-technology licensing by a foreign innovator and privatization policy in a polluting mixed duopoly

Abstract

This article investigates the fixed-fee licensing contract in a mixed duopoly where public and private firms may purchase eco-technology from a foreign innovator. We show that the foreign innovator chooses either an exclusive or a non-exclusive licensing contract, depending on (i) the cost gap between the two firms, (ii) the environmental damage caused by pollutants, and (iii) whether a public firm is privatized or not. We further examine the welfare consequences of non-exclusive licensing, exclusive licensing and discriminatory fixed-fee licensing contracts, respectively, and show that privatization improves social welfare when both cost gap and environmental damage are large.