Distributions of income are compared under the alternative regimes of free access to, and private property in, a resource. It is shown that, in several analytically distinct cases, all those deprived of free access on conversion of a resource to private property can be better off, even though no compensating transfers are made. This resu lt can hold even if the granting of private property rights also conf ers monopoly or monopsony power.

This paper shows that under plausible assumptions, the inability of lenders to discover all of the relevant characteristics of borrowers results in investment in excess of the socially efficient level. Raising the rate of interest above the free market level will restore optimality. This conflicts with generally held views and is contrasted with the Stiglitz-Weiss model. It is shown that the assumptions which yield overinvestment support debt as the equilibrium method of finance. However, under the Stiglitz-Weiss assumptions, used to derive an underinvestment result, equity is shown to be the equilibrium method of finance.