A model in which firms carry out a sequential search to raise their technological level is formulated under the overlapping-generations framework. Technological improvements are random outcomes of a sequential search process, which is financed by the capital raised by firms. The amount of capital resources spent on searching for new technologies by a firm is endogenous and depends on the search undertaken by the firm and its capital. This model identifies some factors that affect the interactions between the search process and the production technology. The basic model is extended to that of a two-sector economy that encompasses a high-technology sector and a more traditional sector. In the extended model, capital is sector-specific. Firms in the high-technology sector can raise their technological level by engaging in R&D, while those in the traditional sector have no more prospects for improving their technological capacity. The two sectors differ from each other in terms of technological level and factor intensity. Finally, the two-sector model is extended in to the world of international trade to analyze the impact of technological change on trade in goods and capital flow.

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Essay one. Equity and financing of pure public goods via lotteries . In this study, I consider a two-part tariff lottery game where provision of a pure public good is financed from the net proceeds of ticket sales. When participation in the game is obligatory (that is, the Government can charge all citizens a fixed participation fee, but citizens choose how many lottery tickets to acquire), then by choosing the fixed fee (or participation fee) appropriately, the first-best outcome can be implemented. At a subgame perfect Nash equilibrium, financing provision of the public good via a lottery mechanism solves the preference revelation problem. In equilibrium, when citizens purchase lottery tickets to maximize their expected utility, they pay their Lindahl price for the consumption of the public good. The public good is provided at the first-best level. When participation is completely voluntary, the lottery pot must be increased in order to attract the participation of those citizens who derive low marginal benefit from the provision of the public good. Although the first-best level of provision of the public good may not be reached, the two-part tariff lottery game provides at least as much of the public good as a simple raffle. Essay two. Strategic interaction and charitable fund-raising . This study uses a game theoretical model to consider an economy where two public goods can be provided by different types of charities---either by one 'United Charity' or two specialized 'stand-alone' charities. An important feature of the analysis is the explicit consideration given to the strategic aspects of inter-charity competition. The study contrast the provision of the pure public goods in three dimensions, i.e., institutional frameworks, objective functions for charities, and the fund-raising structure. One significant result is that if charities are benevolent and donor-designation is honoured by the United Charity, the institutional structure and the timing of fund-raising campaigns do not matter; in contrast, both the institutional structure and the timing of fund-raising campaigns matter if charities maximize donation incomes. Essay three. Canadian charitable giving: Cash versus playing charitable lotteries. Using a bivariate Tobit model, this empirical study analyzes Canadian giving behaviour by examining donations of cash versus indirect giving via the purchase of charitable-run lotteries, charitable bingos and casinos, as well as the buying of goods whose proceeds are used to finance charitable activities. The paper uses the survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (SGVP) conducted by Statistics Canada (and several other agencies) in 1997. In addition to looking at the relationship between direct and indirect charitable giving, this study also make predictions regarding how much will be donated either directly or indirectly with changes in tax rates, government expenditures, household income, as well as a variety of personal and household characteristics.

Cette recherche est une contribution modeste a la problematique environnement et economique. On presente en effet une reflexion sur le probleme de l'effet de serre d'un point de vue economique. Le point de depart de cette etude est l'idee suivante: l'exploitation des "fossiles fuels" est la base de la croissance economique. Elle est aussi la principale cause de l'aggravation de la pollution. Une solution radicale a ce probleme serait l'insertion d'une nouvelle energie dans le processus de production qui soit non polluante et renouvelable. On s'est servi de cette idee pour mener une etude theorique sur l'exploitation optimale de l'energie en presence de l'accumulation du gaz carbonique. L'outil dans cette etude est la technique de controle optimale. Deux modeles ont ete presentes. Chacun de ces modeles se rapporte au probleme suivant: Considerons une economique disposant d'un stock limite de petrole. Cette economie produit un seul bien de consommation suivant une fonction de production agregee qui depend de l'input energetique et de la concentration du gaz carbonique dans l'atmosphere. Cette economie peut se procurer une nouvelle energie appelee energie "backstop". La production de cette derniere necessite l'investissement du capital, dit capital "backstop". Elle necessite egalement un cout variable. Les principales questions posees sont les suivantes: Comment exploiter le stock de petrole d'une facon optimale? Serait-il epuise en un temps fini? Comment s'opere la transition du petrole en energie "backstop"? Serait-elle brusque ou graduelle? Le seuil d'irreversibilite pour la concentration du gaz carbonique serait-il depasse?

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