Abstract
Between 1781 and 1789 the American states attempted to share the costs of national, public goods through a system of requisitions. This paper uses a simple public goods analysis to show why rational states would not share costs as intended by the Articles of Confederation. This normative argument illustrates a potential flaw in the constitutional design of the Articles and provides insight into the decline of the American Confederation.
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Dougherty, K.L., Cain, M.J. Marginal cost sharing and the Articles of Confederation. Public Choice 90, 201–213 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004977522762
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004977522762