Technology transfer with transboundary pollution : a signalling approach

There are increasing complaints from the developing world that developed countries seem reluctant to transfer green technology, despite its benefits in helping to solve the climate problem. Identifying a signalling effect of technology transfer that was neglected by the previous literature, this paper offers a rationale for this reluctance in a North-South model with transboundary pollution. In a benchmark case with complete information, the North makes complete technology transfer, leading to a Pareto improvement. However, if the North's valuation on climate damage is its private information, the North does not completely transfer the technology in “almost all” of the equilibria.