SEQUENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC-GOODS

I examine games involving private contributions to a public good and s how that less of the public good will be supplied if agents move seque ntially than if they move simultaneously. If the agents bid for the ri ght to move first, the agent who values the public good least will win . If each agent chooses the rate at which he will subsidize the other agent's contributions, the subsidies that support the Lindahl allocati on are the unique equilibrium outcome. I also describe two related sub sidy-setting games that yield Lindahl allocations in n-person games wi th general utility functions.