TY - JOUR PY - 1996// TI - Incomplete contracting and target-cost pricing JO - Defence and peace economics A1 - Bos, Dieter SP - 279 EP - 296 VL - 7 IS - 4 N2 - Procurement of advanced technology defence equipment requires appropriate contractual arrangements to achieve efficient R&D investments. This paper analyses the optimality of target-cost and fixed price contracts and shows that target-cost pricing can achieve a first best where both fixed-price contracts and cost reimbursement fail to do so. The main message of this paper is that in incomplete contracting optimality may sometimes be achieved by arrangements which combine several formulae which, individually, would fail to achieve efficiency.

LA - SN - 1024-2694 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10430719608404858 ID - ref1 ER -