Three Sides of Harberger Triangles

James R. Hines, Jr.

NBER Working Paper No. 6852
Issued in December 1998
NBER Program(s):   PE

Harberger triangles are used to calculate the efficiency costs of taxes, government regulations, monopolistic practices, and various other market distortions. This paper considers the historical development of Harberger triangles, the associated theoretical controversies, and the contribution of Harberger triangles to subsequent empirical work and theories of market imperfections. Prior to the publication of Arnold Harberger's papers, economists very rarely estimated deadweight losses. The empirical deadweight loss literature expanded greatly since the 1960s now quite common. Meanwhile, critical evaluation of deadweight loss estimates led to new theories of rent-seeking and other inefficiencies of economies with multiple distortions.

(135 K)

Published: Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 13, no. 2 (Spring 1999): 167-188.

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