We consider the consequences of competition between two types of experimental exchange mechanisms, a “decentralized bargaining” market, and a “centralized” market. The experiment demonstrates that decentralized bargaining is subject to a process of unraveling in which relatively weak...

We consider a simple dynamic “collective reputation” model of a market for an experience good into which we introduce imperfect quality inspections. In each period two markets operate: a prime market for sellers with a good reputation, and a regular market for all other sellers. In every...

A number of studies, most notably Cr?mer and McLean (1985, 1988), have shown that in Harsanyi type spaces of a fixed finite size, it is generically possible to design mechanisms that extract all the surplus from players, and as a consequence, implement any outcome as if the players’ private...

We consider the following situation. A risk-neutral plaintiff sues a risk-neutral defendant for damages that are normalized to one. The defendant knows whether she is liable or not, but the plaintiff does not. We ask what are the settlement procedure and fee-shifting rule (which, together, we...

We report an intriguing empirical observation. The relationship between corruption and output depends on the economy’s degree of openness: in open economies, corruption and GNP per capita are strongly negatively correlated; but in closed economies, there is no relationship at all. This stylized...