We analyze the expected effects of building a rail tunnel between Lyon and Turin on i) the market shares of the established and the new suppliers, and ii) consumer surplus. The prospective project consists of a 53km rail tunnel providing freight shippers with a new alpine path. We calibrate an...

Candidates to a profitable privilege (e.g. an inventor) try to convince a decision maker (e.g. a patent examiner) of their distinctive value. The better candidates often exert higher signaling effort in order to differentiate from less valuable candidates. When the decision maker must also exert...

This paper discusses two common arguments for the adoption of a UBI; that it can be a more effective way of supporting low-income households when existing safety net programs are inefficient, and that it can generate broad support for structural reforms. Using India as an illustration, the paper...

This paper addresses a common criticism of certi fication processes: that they simultaneously generate excessive complexity, insufficient scrutiny and high rates of undue validation. We build a model of persuasion in which low and high types pool on their choice of complexity. A natural...

This paper discusses the definition and modelling of a universal basic income (UBI). Afterclarifying the debate about what a UBI is and presenting the arguments in favor and against,an analytical approach for its assessment is proposed. The adoption of a UBI as a policy tool isdiscussed with...