Book Reviews

Abstract

William R. Cline of Peterson Institute for International Economics reviews “Why Cooperate? The Incentive to Supply Global Public Goods” by Scott Barrett,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Provides an introduction to the issues surrounding the provision of global public goods, focusing on how international cooperation, institutional design, and the clever use of incentives can ensure effective delivery. Discusses the incentives to supply global public goods; single best efforts--global public goods that can be supplied unilaterally or minilaterally; weakest links--global public goods that depend on the states that contribute the least; aggregate efforts--global public goods that depend on the combined efforts of all states; financing and burden sharing--paying for global public goods; mutual restraint--agreeing what states ought not to do; coordination and global standards--agreeing what states ought to do; development--whether global public goods help poor states; and institutions for the supply of global public goods. Barrett is Professor and Director of International Policy in the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Index.”