The paper proposes a methodology to obtain evidence on the relative importance of different mechanisms for supporting agreements. A survey question posed to company directors summarizes key aspects of mechanisms and asks for judgments on use. In contrast to existing approaches, the data covers...

Market failure is a slippery economic term, covering instances where markets are inefficient or missing altogether, i.e. the consumer pays over the odds or cannot obtain a desirable good. Bärwolff argues convincingly that a combination of intellectual property rights and contractual licensing...

Escalating social practices spread dynamically, as they take hold. They are self fulfilling and contagious. This article examines two central social practices, trust and corruption, which may be characterized as alternative economic lubricants. Corruption can be a considerable instrument of...

This dissertation examines whether insiders manage quarterly earnings in connection with their SEC Rule 10b5-1 plan stock sales. Prior research provides evidence of competing incentives regarding the timing of insider stock sales. For example, insiders can (1) sell after they have managed...

Historically minority workers have been underrepresented in the higher-skilled, higher-paying occupations. Government mandates, such as affirmative action, can, under some conditions, change that circumstance, but market efficiencies are often sacrificed. Though there are efficiency losses in...

This dissertation studies economic issues posed by illicit drug testing. The firm's decision to adopt a drug testing program is analyzed in the context of a matching model. Essay one studies the labor market effects of preemployment drug testing. While drug testing enhances productive...

Debates over “entitlements” have lacked conceptual clarity because the term has at least six analytically distinct meanings. The psychological “entitlements” that many attack are distinct from the legalistic “entitlements” that others champion. Most importantly, however, entitlements...