This paper studies the problem of illegal behavior within a principal-agent framework. The agent performs an illegal activity which benefits the principal, and can exert an effort that negatively affects the likelihood of detection of the violation.Two opposite legal regimes are considered: in...

In this paper we examine the possibility of earmarking inheritance taxes to the financing of a transfer to the poor, aimed at reducing the payoff from small crime and at fostering the fulfillment of basic social responsibilities. A simple model of a society in which there are two types of agents...

We model the Catholic Church as a heterogeneous club managed by a specialized agency that pursues the enlargement of the club within given constraints. Religious indulgences induce the self selection of members, based on their attitudes towards risk. Highly risk-averse members do not relax their...

Comunicazione per il CONVEGNO DI STUDI "La riforma sociale (1894-1935) nel sistema politico, sociale e politico-economico italiano e internazionale, Torino, 30-31 marzo 2001, Fondazione Luigi Einaudi; Dipartimento di Studi politici, Università di Torino, Dipartimento Polis,...

In metropolitan areas collective transport is often supplied by many firms and in many modes. The paper focusses on the merging of decisions about prices in two market regimes: monopoly and benevolent regulation through Ramsey pricing. The results confirm that centralization entails efficiency...

Monetary sanctions are less effective when agents cannot afford to pay them in full. We present a simple model of a society with two types of risk averse agents, differing in terms of productivity in the legal labor market. We consider transfers from the most productive to the least productive...