This paper studies multi-agent optimal contracting with cost synergies. We model synergies as the extent to which effort by one agent reduces his colleague's marginal cost of effort. An agent's pay and effort depend on the synergies he exerts, the synergies his colleagues exert on him and,...

The oil palm boom has prompted governments and plantation companies to find ways to incorporate customary landholders in large-scale plantation developments. This paper examines the joint-venture model that has been widely promoted in Sarawak, Malaysia. Principal–agent theory is used to...

This article reviews experimental evidence on the effects of policies intended to promote behavior by firms that is more socially responsible and less socially irresponsible. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can provide firms with opportunities for profit, but changes are likely to increase...

Anecdotal evidence indicates that many people pool funds to purchase lottery tickets. We investigate the characteristics of such syndicated lottery play in Spain. The results indicate that the method of play, and the characteristics of syndicate members, exhibits significant heterogeneity across...

A simple algebraic model of a property structure leading to the Leontief-type input-output scheme is developed and used to eliminate indirect ownership relations and evaluate the final distribution of national property among individual owners. Concepts of "family capitalism" and "capitalism of...

One-shot interaction and repeated interaction often co-exist in the real world. We study possible behavioral effects of this co-existence in a principal–agent setting, in which a principal simultaneously employs a permanent and a temporary agent. Our experimental results indicate that there is...