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on Law and Economics |
| By: | Patrice Bougette (Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, GREDEG, France); Oliver Budzinski (Technische Universität Ilmenau); Frédéric Marty (Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, GREDEG, France) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the evolving landscape of competition law enforcement, focusing on the dynamic interplay between ex-ante and ex-post approaches. Amidst the digital transformation and regulatory shifts, traditional enforcement mechanisms are being re-evaluated. This study aims to dissect the economic rationale behind these shifts, proposing a hybrid framework that balances legal certainty with the flexibility needed to address contemporary market challenges. |
| Keywords: | Competition Law Enforcement, Ex-ante and Ex-post Approaches, Anticompetitive Practices, Merger Control, Digital Economy |
| JEL: | K21 L40 L86 D47 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gre:wpaper:2024-18&r= |
| By: | Robynn J.A. Cox; Jamein P. Cunningham; Alberto Ortega |
| Abstract: | Although research has shown that court-ordered hiring quotas increase the number of minority police officers in litigated cities, there has been little insight into how workforce diversity, or lack thereof, may impact police violence against civilians. Using an event study framework, we find that the threat of affirmative action litigation reduces police killings of non-White civilians in the long-run. In addition, we find evidence of lower arrest rates for non-White civilians and more diverse police departments 25 years after litigation. Our results highlight the vital role that federal interventions have in addressing police behavior and the use of lethal force. |
| JEL: | I28 J15 J78 K42 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32502&r= |
| By: | Bernhard Ganglmair; Julia Krämer; Jacopo Gambato |
| Abstract: | The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of 2018 introduced stringent transparency rules compelling firms to disclose, in accessible language, details of their data collection, processing, and use. The specifics of the disclosure requirement are objective, and its compliance is easily verifiable; readability, however, is subjective and difficult to enforce. We use a simple inspection model to show how this asymmetric enforceability of regulatory rules and the corresponding firm compliance are linked. We then examine this link empirically using a large sample of privacy policies from German firms. We use text-as-data techniques to construct measures of disclosure and readability and show that firms increased the disclosure volume, but the readability of their privacy policies did not improve. Larger firms in concentrated industries demonstrated a stronger response in readability compliance, potentially due to heightened regulatory scrutiny. Moreover, data protection authorities with larger budgets induce better readability compliance without effects on disclosure. |
| Keywords: | data protection, disclosure, GDPR, privacy policies, readability, regulation, text-as-data, topic models |
| JEL: | C81 D23 K12 K20 L51 M15 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2024_547&r= |
| By: | Kiser, Jimena Villanueva (Brigham Young University); Wilson, Riley (Brigham Young University) |
| Abstract: | Exploiting variation created by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), we document the effects of immigrant legalization on mobility investments and economic outcomes. DACA increased both geographic and job mobility of young immigrants, leading them to high paying labor markets and licensed occupations. Employing these shifts, we examine whether these gains to immigrants are offset by losses among U.S.- born workers. Employment of U.S.-born workers grows in the occupations that DACA recipients shifted into after DACA is implemented, even when controlling for local demand. Spillover estimates are consistent with worker complementarities and suggest that immigrant legalization generates broader economic benefits. |
| Keywords: | legal status, DACA, immigration, geographic mobility, job mobility, occupational licensing, local labor markets |
| JEL: | J15 K37 R23 |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16968&r= |
| By: | Umang Khetan; Jetson Leder-Luis; Jialan Wang; Yunrong Zhou |
| Abstract: | We study fraud in the unemployment insurance (UI) system using a dataset of 35 million debit card transactions. We apply machine learning techniques to cluster cards corresponding to varying levels of suspicious or potentially fraudulent activity. We then conduct a difference-in-differences analysis based on the staggered adoption of state-level identity verification systems between 2020 and 2021 to assess the effectiveness of screening for reducing fraud. Our findings suggest that identity verification reduced payouts to suspicious cards by 27%, while non-suspicious cards were largely unaffected by these technologies. Our results indicate that identity screening may be an effective mechanism for mitigating fraud in the UI system and for benefits programs more broadly. |
| JEL: | G51 H53 J65 K42 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32527&r= |
| By: | Coleman Drake; Dylan Nagy; Matthew D. Eisenberg; David Slusky |
| Abstract: | Evidence on cannabis legalization’s effects on mental health remains scarce, despite both rapid increases in cannabis use and an ongoing mental health crisis in the United States. We use granular geographic data to estimate medical cannabis dispensary availability’s effects on self-reported mental health in New York state from 2011 through 2021 using a two-stage difference-in-differences approach to minimize bias introduced from the staggered opening of dispensaries. Our findings rule out that medical cannabis availability had negative effects on mental health for the adult population overall. We also find that medical cannabis availability reduced past-month self-reported poor mental health days by nearly 10%—3.37 percentage points—among adults 65 and above. These results suggest medical cannabis access has positive health impacts for older populations, likely through pain relief. |
| JEL: | H75 I12 I18 I31 K32 K42 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32514&r= |
| By: | Yang, Dianyi; Huang, Leike |
| Abstract: | We reproduce Shoub, Kelsey, Katelyn E. Stauffer, and Miyeon Song (May 2021). "Do Female Officers Police Differently? Evidence from Traffic Stops, " with alternative specifications and interpretation of the results. While our reproduction confirms that female police officers are less likely to search drivers than male officers and female officers are more likely to find contraband upon a search, we re-evaluate the authors' claims on the equality of effectiveness between male and female officers and find that female officers in the dataset confiscated less contraband than male officers. |
| Keywords: | Police-Citizen Interaction, Feminism, Public Administration, Public Opinion, United States |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:127&r= |
| By: | Banerjee, Swapnendu; Saha, Soumyarup |
| Abstract: | We explore a power relationship between a ‘corrupt’ politician and a political worker where the politician can order an illegal corrupt effort to be performed by the worker. Using a moral hazard structure we show that when the politician’s power is sufficiently high the politician optimally uses power and relies less on wage incentives. But when the power is low, the politician optimally shuns power and relies more on wage incentives. We also talk about optimal bolstering of power through threats depending on the level of power of the politician. This model has implications on the larger principal-agent structure, although we model it as a political corruption game. |
| Keywords: | Power, Corruption, Hidden Action, Perception, Bolstering |
| JEL: | D86 J47 K42 |
| Date: | 2024–05–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:121109&r= |