This chapter of the forthcoming Handbook of Law and Economics surveys the theory of the public enforcement of law … sanction imposed on a liable party be a fine, an imprisonment term, or a combination of the two? Should the rule of liability … of the central theory, including: activity level; errors; the costs of imposing fines; general enforcement; marginal …

This article surveys the theory of the public enforcement of law -- the use of public agents (inspectors, tax auditors …, police, prosecutors) to detect and to sanction violators of legal rules. We first present the basic elements of the theory …, focusing on the probability of imposition of sanctions, the magnitude and form of sanctions, and the rule of liability. We then …

, injunctions or other forms of property rules work better than compensation for damage or liability rules. The equivalences of the …