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on Law and Economics |
| By: | Prof. Dobrinka Chankova, PhD (Faculty of Law, Varna Free University, 84 Yanko Slavchev Str., k.k. Chayka, Varna 9007, Bulgaria Author-2-Name: Author-2-Workplace-Name: Author-3-Name: Author-3-Workplace-Name: Author-4-Name: Author-4-Workplace-Name: Author-5-Name: Author-5-Workplace-Name: Author-6-Name: Author-6-Workplace-Name: Author-7-Name: Author-7-Workplace-Name: Author-8-Name: Author-8-Workplace-Name:) |
| Abstract: | " Objective - The research explores how the implementation of the 2021 Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering, also known as the Mendez Principles, functions as a new international instrument for investigators. It examines how these principles contribute to the eradication of human rights violations associated with coercive and hostile interrogation practices, while promoting lawful and science-based interviewing methods and higher ethical standards, and how these changes serve the interests of crime victims and fair justice. Methodology/Technique - The study employs a theoretical and doctrinal analysis, supported by structured observations and a critical review of existing interrogation and information-gathering practices. It also draws on findings from a small-scale empirical survey to supplement the qualitative analysis. Findings - The research demonstrates that the proper and comprehensive implementation of the Méndez Principles is broadly supported by criminal justice practitioners, academic experts, and other relevant stakeholders. The findings indicate that the framework enhances the conduct of interrogations and other information-gathering processes involving victims and witnesses. At the same time, the study identifies areas for improvement at both legislative and practical levels. Novelty - This study provides practical and policy-relevant insights for criminal justice practitioners and legislators, contributing to the ongoing development of ethical, effective, and rights-compliant investigative interviewing practices. Type of Paper - Empirical/ Review" |
| Keywords: | Fair Justice; Investigation Practices; Mendez Principles; Crime Victims; ImpleMendez Project. |
| JEL: | K14 K41 K42 |
| Date: | 2025–12–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gtr:gatrjs:jmmr354 |
| By: | Gaurav Khanna; Carlos Medina; Anant Nyshadham; Daniel Ramos-Menchelli; Jorge Tamayo; Audrey Tiew |
| Abstract: | Neighborhoods are strong determinants of both economic opportunity and criminal activity. Does improving connectedness between segregated and unequal parts of a city predominantly import opportunity or export crime? We use a spatial general equilibrium framework to model individual decisions of where to work and whether to engage in criminal activity, with spillovers across the criminal and legitimate sectors. We match at the individual level various sources of administrative records from Medellín, Colombia, to construct a novel, granular dataset recording the origin and destination of both workers and criminals. We leverage the rollout of a cable car in an event study design, and show how access to transit lines reduces criminal participation and induces legitimate employment. We identify key parameters of the model, informing how changes in transportation costs causally affect the location and sector choices of workers and criminals. Our counterfactual exercises indicate that, when improving the connectedness of neighborhoods, overall criminal activity in the city is reduced, and total welfare is improved. *****RESUMEN: Los vecindarios son importantes determinantes tanto de las oportunidades económicas como de la actividad criminal. Mejorar la conectividad de vecindarios segregados y pobres, con el resto de la ciudad, importará oportunidades a esos vecindarios, o exportará crimen desde ellos? Nosotros utilizamos un modelo de equilibrio general para modelar las decisiones individuales de dónde trabajar y de si involucrarse en actividades criminales, incorporando efectos sobre los sectores criminal y legal. Construimos una novedosa base de datos a nivel individual con base en varios registros administrativos de Medellín, Colombia, que incluye el origen y el destino tanto de los empleados como de los criminales. Nosotros provechamos la construcción de varias líneas de cable del Metro de Medellín, y mostramos cómo el acceso a las estaciones conectadas por estos cables reduce la participación en actividades criminales e incrementa el empleo formal. También identificamos varios parámetros del modelo que nos permiten estimar, cómo los cambios en los costos del transporte, afectan de forma causal, la ubicación y la elección sectorial, de empleados y criminales. Nuestro ejercicio contrafactual indica que, cuando se mejora la conectividad de los vecindarios, la criminalidad total de la ciudad se reduce, y el bienestar total se incrementa. |
| Keywords: | urban transit infrastructure, crime, Medellín, spatial equilibrium, Infraestructura de transporte urbano, crimen, equilibrio espacial |
| JEL: | F14 J24 J46 K42 O17 R40 |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdr:borrec:1334 |
| By: | Tomaso Duso; Martin Peitz |
| Abstract: | Trade conflicts, geopolitical tensions, digital disruption, and the climate crisis pose major challenges for the European Union (EU) and its member states. As called for in the Draghi Report, industrial policy measures can increase competitiveness, strengthen resilience, and facilitate the twin transformation. This article explores ways in which competition policy can be realigned to better accommodate industrial policy objectives. Using German competition law as a reference point, it presents options with which legislatures and competition authorities can respond to current challenges, reconcile conflicting objectives, and adapt the decision-making framework. It then considers elements of a competition-oriented industrial policy, understood as an evidence-based, targeted approach in which competition serves both as a guiding principle and as a control variable. |
| Keywords: | industrial policy, protection of competition, competition, regulation, competition policy, competitiveness, internal market |
| JEL: | L40 L50 L52 K21 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp2145 |
| By: | Eric Helland; Minjae Yun |
| Abstract: | Case management by judges is increasingly determining the outcome of litigation, particularly in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) process. One concern is that the MDL process pressures defendants to settle, regardless of the merits, and provides insufficient information on the value of individual cases within the MDL. Critics of the MDL system have suggested two management orders as solutions to these problems. The first is Lone Pine orders, which require plaintiffs in an MDL to produce evidence of injury and causation. The second is bellwether trials, in which the court selects certain cases for trial to provide information on the value of claims and encourage settlement. We examine the impact of Lone Pine orders and bellwether trial processes on the outcomes of cases in multidistrict litigation (MDLs). Using data on MDLs from 1992 to 2017, we find that Lone Pine orders are associated with an increase in the number of cases resolved in the MDL process. |
| Date: | 2025–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2512.08997 |
| By: | Chihaya, Guilherme Kenji; Mitchell, Jeffrey |
| Abstract: | In 2015, the Swedish police released a list of urban neighborhoods that it deemed ‘vulnerable’ (utsatta områden) with the intended purpose of reducing crime in those areas. We argue that this highly publicized list is a case of Spatial Marking, which refers to the institutionalization of positive or negative perceptions of a place via the enactment of a place-based intervention. Spatial marking leads to formal and informal rules dictating the differential treatment of communities largely based on racial composition, and should therefore be conceptualized as a structural determinant of health. In the case of the Swedish police list, we argue Spatial Marking amounts to the criminalization of entire neighborhoods, whose residents are subject to stigma and increased police interventions which should negatively impact the health of the people that live there. We assess this possibility with geo-located register data using a staggered difference in differences design to estimate the effect of being added to the police list across 9 health outcomes. Our results show that both the number of overdoses, babies born with low birth weights, and babies born out of pregnancies without adequate prenatal care increased as a result of being added to the police list. We find no evidence that of meaningful changes in the number of suicides, violent deaths, violent hospitalizations, or rates in mental health prescriptions. The analyses highlight how policing and criminalization, institutionalized through Spatial Marking can contribute to inequalities in health. |
| Date: | 2025–12–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:jxphb_v1 |
| By: | Nguyen Quang Thanh (Faculty of Economic Law, University of Economics and Law, VNU-HCM, Vietnam Author-2-Name: Author-2-Workplace-Name: Author-3-Name: Author-3-Workplace-Name: Author-4-Name: Author-4-Workplace-Name: Author-5-Name: Author-5-Workplace-Name: Author-6-Name: Author-6-Workplace-Name: Author-7-Name: Author-7-Workplace-Name: Author-8-Name: Author-8-Workplace-Name:) |
| Abstract: | " Objective - This paper aims to analyze the Vietnamese legal framework on the prevention and abolition of child labor under the influence of the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The study explores how EVFTA commitments, particularly those embedded in the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Chapter, shape Vietnam's legal reforms, institutional adjustments, and enforcement responsibilities relating to child labor. Methodology - The research employs a qualitative approach based on analysis, synthesis, and comparison of secondary data, including international conventions, Vietnamese legislation, academic publications, policy reports, and EVFTA provisions. The study examines the interaction between trade law and labor standards using theoretical lenses such as legalization theory and normative diffusion. Findings - The results show that Vietnam has aligned key elements of its domestic legal framework with ILO Conventions Nos. 138 and 182 following the EVFTA. This alignment is reflected in the establishment of a statutory minimum working age, clearer prohibitions on hazardous work, strengthened child protection standards, and increasing attention to child labor data collection. However, significant enforcement challenges persist, including limited inspection capacity, inconsistent administrative reporting, a large informal labor sector, and socio-economic drivers that continue to push children into labor. Novelty - The originality of this study lies in its integrated analysis of Vietnam's child labor regulations within the broader context of new-generation FTAs, highlighting how trade commitments can influence domestic labor governance. The paper contributes a legal-institutional perspective that links EVFTA obligations with practical implementation barriers, offering insights into compliance expectations shaped by recent developments in EU trade policy. Type of Paper - Review" |
| Keywords: | Commitment to abolish child labor; EVFTA; Labor standards; New-generation FTA; Vietnamese law. |
| JEL: | F13 J83 J88 K31 K33 |
| Date: | 2025–12–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gtr:gatrjs:jber263 |
| By: | Payal Malik (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)); Aman Sinha; Saloni Dhadwal; Jayati Sareen; Harishankar Jagadeesh |
| Abstract: | This report addresses a critical gap in policy discussions on the standard-essential patent (SEP) licensing ecosystem by examining the perspectives of startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India. Global policy debates on SEPs typically focus on balancing the interests of SEP holders and implementers, while overlooking the unique challenges faced by emerging firms in intellectual property creation, monetisation, participation in standard-setting processes, and navigating the complexities of SEP licensing. Our analysis finds that many economic concerns surrounding SEPs are overstated when assessed against real-world evidence. Industries built on standardized technologies have thrived under the current SEP framework, where fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) commitments have supported innovation and interoperability without imposing undue burdens on consumers or follow-on innovators. The key challenge for India lies not in systemic flaws within the global SEP regime, but in strengthening its domestic capacity to effectively engage with and benefit from this ecosystem. The empirical evidence we examined in this report does not support claims of systemic market failure in SEP licensing. While some inefficiencies and transactional frictions remain, these can be addressed through market-based mechanisms rather than regulation, thereby preserving incentives for innovation. Based on these insights, we recommend targeted policy measures to bolster India's innovation landscape. These include institutional support to increase the participation of Indian firms in standard-setting activities, development of a robust intellectual property regime that enhances competitiveness, and the provision of efficient pathways for resolving SEP disputes, such as fast-tracked mediation and arbitration to avoid protracted litigation. By providing a nuanced, evidence-based assessment, this report seeks to inform policies that may empower Indian startups and SMEs to play a strategic role in the global SEP ecosystem and strengthen India's overall innovation capacity. |
| Keywords: | patent, SEP, intellectual property, FRAND, medium-sized enterprises, icrier |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdc:report:25-r-19 |
| By: | Alessandro De Chiara (Universitat de Barcelona); Ester Manna (Universitat de Barcelona); Shubhranshu Singh (Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University) |
| Abstract: | We theoretically investigate whether AI developers or AI operators should be liable for the harm the AI systems may cause when they hallucinate. We find that the optimal liability framework may vary over time, with the evolution of the AI technology, and that making the AI operators liable can be desirable only if it induces monitoring of the AI systems. We also highlight non-trivial relationships between welfare and reputational concerns, human supervision ability, and the accuracy of the technology. Our results have implications for regulatory design and business strategies. |
| Keywords: | AI hallucinations, AI liability, AI supervision |
| JEL: | K2 L51 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ewp:wpaper:492web |