Sustainability and the intergenerational distribution of natural resource entitlements

The paper describes an OLG economy with a single exhaustible resource that has amenity value. The steady states of this economy form a continuum, implying path-dependency. We compare three policy scenarios; first, a 'zero extraction' policy of enforced conservation that avoids environmental degradation, possibly at the expense of intertemporal efficiency. Second, a 'grandfathering' policy that endows the present generations with all resources, and that ensures efficiency but cannot prevent a persistent decline in lifetime utility from one generation to the next. Third, a 'trust fund' policy, where future generations receive claims for the natural resource. Of the three, only the trust fund ensures efficiency and protects welfare of all generations. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.