Donations to a public good in a large economy

The characteristics of private provision of public goods in a large economy are investigated when agents undertake an activity which has an adverse ef fect on the quantity of the public good itself. In contrast to a model in w hich provision is by donations alone, a substantial proportion of the popul ation can be donors in a large economy. Nevertheless, the model faces certa in empirical difficulties. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed. JEL classification: H4.