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on Law and Economics |
| By: | Leander Andres; Stefan Bauernschuster; Gordon B. Dahl; Helmut Rainer; Simone Schüller |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the impact of birthright citizenship on youth crime. We leverage a German reform which automatically granted birthright citizenship to eligible immigrant children born in Germany after January 1, 2000 and administrative crime data from three federal states. We find that immigrant youth who acquired citizenship at birth are substantially less likely to engage in criminal activity, with estimates indicating a 70% reduction in crime. These results are particularly relevant in light of ongoing debates in the U.S. about abolishing birthright citizenship. Our findings suggest that inclusive citizenship policies can reduce crime and its associated costs, which in turn could strengthen social cohesion. |
| Keywords: | Immigrant assimilation, youth crime |
| JEL: | J15 K42 |
| Date: | 2026–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:26111 |
| By: | Rui Costa; Olivia Masi; Beatriz Ribeiro; Matteo Sandi |
| Abstract: | Can harsher criminal sanctions reduce violence inside intimate relationships? We study Brazil's 2015 Femicide Law, which reclassified femicide as a heinous crime and raised expected penalties for gender-based killings. Using ten years of linked administrative records for the universe of individuals in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, we compare women born in municipalities with different pre-reform exposure to men with a history of violence against women. We find that the reform reduced domestic violence, with effects concentrated in serious non-fatal offences: bodily injuries, threats, and fighting. The decline does not appear to be explained by reporting changes or incapacitation. Instead, the evidence points to deterrence reinforced by victims' use of the state: after the reform, women requested protective measures more often and did so earlier in the sequence of abuse. The results show that criminal law can reduce domestic violence before the fatal margin, not only by threatening offenders, but by making protection a more credible option for victims. |
| Keywords: | Gender-related violence, violence against women, crime, punishment |
| Date: | 2026–05–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2177 |
| By: | Davide Cipullo; Massimiliano Gaetano Onorato; Gianmario Pelleschi |
| Abstract: | We study the long-run health effects of illegal toxic waste disposal conducted by organized crime in Italy. We exploit quasi-random variation in historical wind direction around contaminated sites combined with a difference-in-differences design. Using administrative data on cancer deaths spanning four decades, we find that wind exposure to pollutants increases the number of cancer deaths substantially. The effects emerge after long latencies and grow over time. In later years, wind exposure implies roughly two additional cancer deaths per municipality-year relative to unexposed municipalities equally proximate to contaminated sites. Our findings reveal a previously unmeasured health externality of organized crime. |
| Keywords: | organized crime, environmental externalities, pollution and health, state capacity, cancer mortality |
| JEL: | K42 Q53 I18 D62 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12644 |
| By: | Lisa Cherkassky (Law School, University of Exeter); Alaiba Faheem (Department of Economics, University of Exeter); Sonia Oreffice (Department of Economics, University of Exeter); Climent Quintana-Domeque (Department of Economics, University of Exeter) |
| Abstract: | This article examines how non-fatal strangulation and suffocation (NFS) is criminalised across United Kingdom jurisdictions and whether the introduction of a standalone NFS offence in England and Wales is associated with changes in intimate partner homicide (IPH). Its principal contribution is comparative and legal: it shows how England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland differ in defining, charging, and proving NFS-type conduct. The article then uses a jurisdiction-year panel for England and Wales and Scotland to estimate an exploratory difference-in-differences specification of IPH counts and rates following the June 2022 reform in England and Wales. Descriptive patterns suggest a relative post-reform decline in female-victim IPH counts in England and Wales, but inference is limited by the two-jurisdiction comparison, short post-reform window, rare-event volatility, and pre-trend concerns. The quantitative analysis is therefore best understood as an exploratory extension that identifies hypothesis-consistent patterns rather than clear causal evidence. |
| Keywords: | non-fatal strangulation, intimate partner violence, intimate partner homicide, domestic abuse law, offence design |
| JEL: | K14 K42 J12 J16 I18 |
| Date: | 2026–05–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:exe:wpaper:2604 |
| By: | Jaime Arellano-Bover; Marco De Simoni; Luigi Guiso; Rocco Macchiavello; Domenico J. Marchetti; Mounu Prem |
| Abstract: | Organized crime groups (OCGs) are often thought to infiltrate firms to benefit from or support criminal activities, such as corruption, false invoicing, and the provision of illicit goods. We show that much of infiltration-especially among large firms-serves a different purpose: firms are infiltrated not to engage directly in criminal activities, but to access valuable connections in the legal economy and politics. We develop a conceptual framework that distinguishes between the classic contaminated motives and the novel pure motive of infiltration and delivers testable predictions to infer these motives from firms' behavior. We test these predictions using the "Mappatura, " a new and highly confidential dataset assembled by the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Bank of Italy. Consistent with the model, we uncover a systematic pattern across firm size: smaller infiltrated firms display the hallmarks of being set up to be used for criminal activities, medium-sized firms benefit from criminal support, and large firms are predominantly consistent with the pure motive. In these firms, infiltration leaves operations largely unchanged but reduces reliance on bank financing and increases liquidity. At the same time, infiltrated firms and infiltrating individuals are significantly more connected to other firms and to politicians. These findings shift the perspective on infiltration, align with recent high-profile investigations, and provide a rare glimpse into the integration stage of money laundering, linking it to the acquisition of economic and political connections. |
| Keywords: | organized crime, legal economy, firms, infiltration |
| JEL: | G3 L2 K4 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:26130 |
| By: | M P Ram Mohan; Pratishtha Agarwal |
| Abstract: | The increased emphasis on visual presentation and brand experience has elevated trade-dress from a peripheral concern to a central feature of trademark protection. Indian trade-dress protection is currently spread across multiple intellectual property legal regime with special emphasis through the passing-off law under the trademarks Act 1999. Despite commercial importance of trade-dress law, and without explicit statutory definition of what constitutes trade-dress, its protection is shaped almost entirely through a patchwork of judicial interpretation across the Supreme Court and the High Courts. The present study undertakes a mapping and comparative analysis of trade-dress jurisprudence across the Supreme Court of India and four major High Courts; Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. The analysis reveals a fragmented landscape highlighting divergent judicial approaches to distinctiveness, consumer perception, functionality and evidentiary thresholds, The present study further identifies persistent doctrinal tensions from the conflation of trade-dress with copyright and design law in the Indian context. The authors argue for a more disciplined and coherent framework for trade-dress protection in India. |
| Date: | 2025–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iim:iimawp:14732 |
| By: | Rigissa Megalokonomou |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how gender representation affects collective decision-making in expert committees. I exploit quasi-random assignment of judges to panels in the Greek Supreme Court using newly digitized data on 3, 700 criminal appeals. I find that panels with more female judges are more likely to reject appeals and less likely to delegate cases. Effects are nonlinear and emerge primarily once at least three of five judges are female; below this level, representation has no detectable effect. The mechanism appears to operate at the panel rather than the individual level — panels with a higher share of female judges take significantly longer to decide, especially in complex cases and in familiar panel compositions, consistent with more thorough deliberation rather than coordination costs. These findings suggest that diversity policies targeting modest increases in female representation will have limited impact unless they shift the deliberative composition of the group itself. |
| Keywords: | panel decisions, gender composition, quasi-random assignment, Supreme Court |
| JEL: | J16 D03 D71 J78 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12661 |
| By: | Jesse Matheson (University of Sheffield); Brendon McConnell (Institute for Fiscal Studies); James Rockey (University of Birmingham); Argyris Sakalis (Durham University) |
| Date: | 2026–05–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ifs:ifsewp:26/31 |
| By: | Mohamad Alhussein Saoud (Faculty of Economics and Management, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg) |
| Abstract: | During New Year’s Eve 2015/2016, the German city of Cologne witnessed mass sexual assaults and thefts by perpetrators described as having an Arab-African appearance. This paper studies whether the event in Cologne led to a backlash in crimes against refugees in Germany. Difference-in-differences regressions reveal a significant jump in anti-refugee crimes immediately after the event. This rise is driven by assaults and miscellaneous crimes and is more pronounced in North Rhine-Westphalia (where Cologne is located), in wealthier counties, in counties with a higher share of refugees, and in the counties that had a refugee reception center. The immediate rise in anti-refugee crimes is also higher in counties where a higher share of German suspects has been involved in crimes against foreign victims. Regarding longer-term repercussions, I find evidence for an anniversary effect a year later, i.e., a rise in anti-refugee crimes after the next New Year’s Eve. |
| Keywords: | Refugees, hate crimes, immigration, anniversary effect |
| JEL: | F22 J15 K42 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mag:wpaper:25001 |
| By: | Jens-Uwe Franck; Martin Peitz |
| Abstract: | This contribution examines Heike Schweitzer’s role as a competition policy analyst and adviser in the formative phase of European competition policy towards digital platforms. It situates her work in this context and develops a conceptual framework that captures the challenges of analysis under conditions of uncertainty and dynamic market developments. Through a selective analysis of four key reports, the article reconstructs central analytical approaches and policy proposals, identifies characteristic features of a “Heike Schweitzer approach”, and assesses its influence on subsequent regulatory developments, in particular the Digital Markets Act and section 19a of the German Competition Act. |
| Keywords: | antitrust law, digital platform, Digital Markets Act, German competition law, platform regulation |
| JEL: | K21 K23 K20 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_745 |
| By: | Mahmood, Rafat (Monash University); Maitra, Pushkar (Monash University) |
| Abstract: | Natural disasters are a growing global threat, yet their consequences for gender-based violence (GBV) in high-income countries with strong institutional protections remain largely unknown. We address this gap using administrative crime records linked to disaster declarations at the Local Government Area level in Australia. Applying staggered difference-in-differences estimation techniques, we find that disasters cause short-run increase family, domestic, and sexual violence with effects concentrated in the first one to three months following a disaster. Strikingly, these effects are larger in urban and affluent areas, an outcome that is difficult to reconcile with a pure economic-stress mechanism, and is more consistent with institutional strain and differential reporting environments. To probe the underlying pathway, we draw on complementary household survey evidence, which points to mental health deterioration and increased intra-household conflict as individual-level mechanisms. Together, our findings suggest that even well-resourced institutional settings offer only incomplete protection against disaster-induced violence against women. |
| Keywords: | natural disasters, gender based violence, event study, Australia |
| JEL: | Q54 J12 J16 I18 K42 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18616 |
| By: | Kabir Dasgupta; Jennifer Fernandez; Alicia Lloro |
| Abstract: | This study examines financial challenges faced by justice-involved individuals using 2023-2024 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking data. Individuals with justice system contact experience substantially worse financial outcomes than those without criminal records, with disparities widening by severity of involvement. Compared to individuals with no prior records, those arrested but not convicted are 4 percentage points less likely to report doing at least okay financially, while formerly convicted as well as incarcerated adults are 15 percentage points less likely. Formerly incarcerated individuals are also 21 percentage points less likely to have credit scores above 660 and 13 percentage points less likely to have credit cards. These disparities mirror patterns observed across education levels, where adults with lower educational attainment experience lower financial well-being and inclusion. Our findings document substantial barriers to financial stability among justice-involved populations and may inform policies promoting financial inclusion and improving economic outcomes for this group. |
| Keywords: | consumer credit reports; consumer credit scoring; discrimination; economic inclusion |
| JEL: | K42 G50 I31 |
| Date: | 2026–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgfe:103196 |
| By: | Jun Chen; Song Ma; Feng Zhang |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how anti-harassment legal reforms that weaken non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases of workplace sexual harassment affect startups' hiring and organizational decisions. Using a staggered difference-in-differences design and LinkedIn data on over 50, 000 U.S. venture-capital-backed startups from 2014–2022, we find that NDA reforms, although intended for employee protection, reduce female hiring by about 8%, with effects concentrated among junior women, who are statistically more prone to sexual harassment, and in small or male-dominated startups. The results apply to both the intensive and extensive margins of female hiring. Treated entrepreneurial firms also witness more departures of male managers, promote more women, and receive less VC funding. These results suggest that while NDA-weakening laws increase firms’ perceived legal risk and reduce female hiring, they also trigger internal restructuring that promotes women's advancement into leadership and may, over time, foster more accountable and inclusive organizational cultures. |
| JEL: | G0 J0 K0 M14 M5 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35187 |
| By: | Hadah, Hussain (Tulane University); Compta, Gael (Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University,); Saffouri, Ali (. T. Bauer College of Business, Department of Finance, University of Houston,) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we analyze the causal effect of mandatory firearm waiting periods on suicide rates using difference-in-differences methodology. We find waiting periods reduce overall firearm suicides by 12% (0.92 deaths per 100, 000), with steeper declines among white individuals (37%) and adults over 55 (40%). We find no evidence of substitution toward non-firearm methods; conversely, repealing these laws increases firearm suicides. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that waiting periods prevent approximately 3, 000 deaths annually, generating $41 billion in social benefits. These findings demonstrate that "cooling-off periods" effectively disrupt the transition from suicidal ideation to action by delaying access to lethal means. |
| Keywords: | firearm waiting periods, suicide prevention, gun policy, public health, difference-in-differences, event-study design |
| JEL: | I18 I12 K32 J17 H75 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18624 |