ECON 241 Law and Economics
| ECON 241 Syllabus (Fall 2019) |
Scholarly Articles
Property Rights and Economic Efficiency
Ellen Frankel Paul. (1978) "J.S. Mill: The Utilitarian Influence in the Demise of Laissez-Faire"
Terry L. Anderson and P.J. Hill. (1975) "The Evolution of Property Rights."
Harold Demsetz. (1967) "Toward a Theory of Property Rights."
The Commons and Anticommons
James M. Buchanan & Yong Yoon. (2000) "Symmetric Tragedies: Commons and Anticommons."
Michael Heller. (1998) "The Tragedy of the Anti-Commons."
Externalities and the Coase Theorem
Coase, Ronald. (1960) "The Problem of Social Cost."
Guido Calabresi and A. Douglas Melamed. (1972) "Property Rules, Liability Rules, and Inalienability: One View of the Cathedral."
Applications of the Coase Theorem
Farnsworth, W. (1999) "Do Parties to Nuisance Cases Bargain After Judgment? A Glimpse Inside the Cathedral."
Ellickson, Robert C. (1986) "Of Coase and Cattle: Dispute Resolution among Neighbors in Shasta County."
Donohue, John J. III (1989) "Diverting the Coasian River: Incentive Schemes to Reduce Unemployment Spells."
Hoffman, Elizabeth and Spitzer, Matthew L. (1986) "Experimental Tests of the Coase Theorem with Large Bargaining Groups."
Stevenson, Betty and Wolfers, J. (2004) "Bargaining in the Shadow of the Law: Divorce Laws and Family Distress."
Contract Theory
Charles J. Goetz & Robert E. Scott. (1980) "Enforcing Promises: An Examination of the Basis of Contract."
Strict Liability, Negligence, and Limited and Unlimited Liability
Steve Shavell. (1980). "Strict Liability versus Negligence."
Harold Demsetz (1972) "When Does the Rule of Liability Matter?"
Torts & Liability
Helland, E. and Tabarrok, A. (2002) "The Effect of Electoral Institutions on Tort Awards."
Manning, Richard. (1994) "Changing Rules in Tort Law and the Market for Childhood Vaccines."
Currie, J. and W. Bentley MacLeod. (2008) "First Do No Harm? Tort Reform and Birth Outcomes."
BovbJerg, Randall R. and Sloan, Frank. (1998) "No Fault for Medical Injury: Theory and Evidence."
Deterrence and Criminal Behavior
Becker, Gary (1974) "Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach" (NBER pdf)
Levitt, Steven. (2004) "Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s: Four Factors That Explain the Decline and Six That Do Not."
Klick, J. and Tabarrok, A. (2005) "Using Terror Alert Levels To Estimate the Effect of Police on Crime."
Wolfers, Justin and John Donohue. (2005) "Uses and Abuses of Empirical Evidence in the Death Penalty Debate."
Law versus Legislation
Klerman, Daniel. (2007) "Jurisdictional Competition and the Evolution of the Common Law."
Trakman, Leon. (2003) "From the Medieval Law Merchant to E-Merchant Law."
Ellen Frankel Paul. (1978) "J.S. Mill: The Utilitarian Influence in the Demise of Laissez-Faire"
Terry L. Anderson and P.J. Hill. (1975) "The Evolution of Property Rights."
Harold Demsetz. (1967) "Toward a Theory of Property Rights."
The Commons and Anticommons
James M. Buchanan & Yong Yoon. (2000) "Symmetric Tragedies: Commons and Anticommons."
Michael Heller. (1998) "The Tragedy of the Anti-Commons."
Externalities and the Coase Theorem
Coase, Ronald. (1960) "The Problem of Social Cost."
Guido Calabresi and A. Douglas Melamed. (1972) "Property Rules, Liability Rules, and Inalienability: One View of the Cathedral."
Applications of the Coase Theorem
Farnsworth, W. (1999) "Do Parties to Nuisance Cases Bargain After Judgment? A Glimpse Inside the Cathedral."
Ellickson, Robert C. (1986) "Of Coase and Cattle: Dispute Resolution among Neighbors in Shasta County."
Donohue, John J. III (1989) "Diverting the Coasian River: Incentive Schemes to Reduce Unemployment Spells."
Hoffman, Elizabeth and Spitzer, Matthew L. (1986) "Experimental Tests of the Coase Theorem with Large Bargaining Groups."
Stevenson, Betty and Wolfers, J. (2004) "Bargaining in the Shadow of the Law: Divorce Laws and Family Distress."
Contract Theory
Charles J. Goetz & Robert E. Scott. (1980) "Enforcing Promises: An Examination of the Basis of Contract."
Strict Liability, Negligence, and Limited and Unlimited Liability
Steve Shavell. (1980). "Strict Liability versus Negligence."
Harold Demsetz (1972) "When Does the Rule of Liability Matter?"
Torts & Liability
Helland, E. and Tabarrok, A. (2002) "The Effect of Electoral Institutions on Tort Awards."
Manning, Richard. (1994) "Changing Rules in Tort Law and the Market for Childhood Vaccines."
Currie, J. and W. Bentley MacLeod. (2008) "First Do No Harm? Tort Reform and Birth Outcomes."
BovbJerg, Randall R. and Sloan, Frank. (1998) "No Fault for Medical Injury: Theory and Evidence."
Deterrence and Criminal Behavior
Becker, Gary (1974) "Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach" (NBER pdf)
Levitt, Steven. (2004) "Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s: Four Factors That Explain the Decline and Six That Do Not."
Klick, J. and Tabarrok, A. (2005) "Using Terror Alert Levels To Estimate the Effect of Police on Crime."
Wolfers, Justin and John Donohue. (2005) "Uses and Abuses of Empirical Evidence in the Death Penalty Debate."
Law versus Legislation
Klerman, Daniel. (2007) "Jurisdictional Competition and the Evolution of the Common Law."
Trakman, Leon. (2003) "From the Medieval Law Merchant to E-Merchant Law."
Other Readings and YouTube Clips
- Property Rights: A Fair(y) Use Tale (YouTube); Dickens of a case (Telegraph); Colorado Squatters Case [Troy Donovan] (Business Insider); Copyright Infringement and the Setting of a Netflix Series (JD Supra); EFF to Court: Parody Book Combining Dr. Seuss and Star Trek Themes Is Fair Use (EFF)
- The Commons and Anticommmons: Michael Heller on the Tragedy of the Anticommons (YouTube)
- Coase Theorem: Sunnyvale homeowners told to cut redwoods that block solar panels (Mercury News)
- Takings: Do Innocent Citizens Risk Police Seizure of Their Property? (PBS, YouTube); Costs of Regulatory Takings and Property Value Destruction (CEI); Law enforcement took more stuff from people than robbers did last year (WaPo)
- Liability and Negligence: A California mayor wants to require all gun owners to have liability insurance (CNN)
- Courts: The Devil’s Bargain: How Plea Agreements, Never Contemplated by the Framers, Undermine Justice (Cato); Kaleif Browder Held at Rikers Island for 3 Year Without Trial (NYT); 85 people held for 4 years in Louisana jails without a trial, sheriffs say (NOLA); Justices Approve Strip Searches for Any Offense (NYT); It's time to stop funding local governments with unfair court fines (USA Today)
- General: Bill of Rights and Current Events Links
Court Cases
- Regulatory Takings Cases (PDF)
- Arver v. United States (SCOTUS, Selective Service draft [Demsetz on externalities], 1917): Wikipedia Summary; Cornell Case Brief
- Lawrence v. Texas (SCOTUS, privacy rights, 2003): Wikipedia Summary; Cornell Case Brief; Supreme court overturns gay sex law (The Guardian)
- Kelo v. City of New London (SCOTUS, eminent domain, 2005): Wikipedia Summary; Cornell Case Brief; The Legacy of Kelo v. New London (YouTube)
- Timbs v. Indiana (SCOTUS, civil forfeiture, 2019): Wikipedia Summary; SCOTUS Opinion (pdf); Supreme Court Limits Police Powers to Seize Private Property (NYT)
Research Resources
Data Resources
Other Resources
Reference Management Software (Free)
- AEA Data
- Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Census Data
- Current Population Survey
- DataFerrett
- Federal Reserve of St. Louis - Population, Employment, and Labor Markets
- ICPSR Data
- University of Minnesota IPUMS
- NBER Data
- National Longitudinal Surveys
Other Resources
- AEA Resources for Economists
- American Enterprise Institute
- The Foundation for Economic Education
- The Independent Institute
- The National Bureau of Economic Research (use an .edu email to access papers)
Reference Management Software (Free)
Class Resources
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