Showing archive for: “Payments & Payment Networks”
Call for Papers: FTC/Northwestern University Second Annual Microeconomics Conference
The Federal Trade Commission and the Searle Center at Northwestern are hosting the second annual Microeconomics Conference. The conference will take place on November 19th and 20th at the FTC. Here’s the conference announcement and call for papers: The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics, Northwestern University’s Searle Center on Law, Regulation and Economic Growth, ... Call for Papers: FTC/Northwestern University Second Annual Microeconomics Conference
Some Reactions to the Obama Housing Plan
First, Peter Klein: I am bewildered. But, more than that, I am angry. I can’t count how many news accounts I’ve seen about the poor, struggling homeowners who can’t make the monthly mortgage payment, are about to be foreclosed, and risk losing the family home, yard, white picket fence, and piece of the American Dream. ... Some Reactions to the Obama Housing Plan
Zywicki on Judicial Modification of Mortgage Contracts
Earlier this week, I argued that courts should resist the urge to modify what turn out to be improvident commercial contracts. An unintended consequence of rewriting such contracts, I asserted, is that negotiated agreements would become unreliable, which would raise the risks associated with, and thereby discourage, wealth-creating exchanges. And real wealth creation — not ... Zywicki on Judicial Modification of Mortgage Contracts
First Annual FTC Microeconomics Conference: November 6-7
I think conferences like this are an effective way to attract talented economists to work on interesting antitrust problems. I can envision a similar event from the Bureau of Competition or policy shops featuring academic research from law and economics scholars. Here’s the conference announcement: The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics will host a ... First Annual FTC Microeconomics Conference: November 6-7
Nudge
Sunstein and Thaler have a series of posts over at Volokh Consipiracy on their new book Nudge, which expands on their notion of libertarian paternalism (see here, here , here and here). Something in the most recent post caught my eye. In preparing to respond to various objections to libertarian paternalism, Sunstein argues that this ... Nudge
Radiohead revisited
I started writing this as a comment to Josh’s last post, but it got so long I figured I’d make a post out of it. Thanks for the inspiraiton, Josh. I really hope Radiohead releases the data on its little experiment! My prediction: They will receive an average price of $2 and a median price ... Radiohead revisited
Behavioral Law and Economics of Contracts
After receiving the page proofs last week, I’m posting “Behavioral Law and Economics, Paternalism, and Consumer Contracts: An Empirical Perspective” to SSRN. I wrote this paper for last year’s NYU Journal of Law & Liberty Symposium on Behavioral Economics’ Challenge to the Classical Liberal Program. The basic idea of the paper is an evaluation of ... Behavioral Law and Economics of Contracts
The Elusive Profitability of Voluntary Pricing
WSJ has a fascinating story this morning about a group of restaurants in Utah, Washington, Colorado and other places adopting a completely voluntary pricing system. No registers. No prices. No “suggested” prices and no tips. The business model is essentially to provide food and allow customers to put whatever they want in a lock box ... The Elusive Profitability of Voluntary Pricing
In My Mailbox …
“I am very sorry to report that your Social Security number was among the 28,600 illegally retrieved. This does not mean that you are the victim of identity theft or that we have evidence of your Social Security number being misused. And it is important to know that the database does not include banking or ... In My Mailbox …
Becker and Posner on "Libertarian Paternalism"
Becker and Posner take on “libertarian paternalism” this week. The entries are both worth reading, especially for the parts where these co-bloggers disagree. Here are my favorite passages from each. First, Posner attempts to distinguish his previous defense of the NYC trans-fat ban from good old-fashioned paternalism: It might seem that the good could be ... Becker and Posner on "Libertarian Paternalism"
Warren on Rationality, Choice, and Regulation in the Credit Card Market
Elizabeth Warren (Credit Slips) points to an interesting empirical study by Agarwal, Liu, Souleses, and Chomsisengphet (“ALSC”) which examines consumer credit card selection in a natural experiment setting in which a card company offers two cards to consumers: (1) a high interest rate, no annual fee card and (2) a low rate card with an ... Warren on Rationality, Choice, and Regulation in the Credit Card Market
Reimbursement Proposal for Short-Slate Proxy Contests
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (“AFSCMEâ€?) has submitted the following Rule 14a-8 proposal to American Express, Citigroup and Bank of New York (ht: Corporate Governance Blog): RESOLVED, that shareholders of ________ urge the board of directors (the “Board”) to amend the bylaws to provide procedures for the reimbursement of the reasonable ... Reimbursement Proposal for Short-Slate Proxy Contests
