We consider a principal-agent model where the agent is a taxpayer and the principal is a tax authority. The principal wants to know the agent’s private information (e.g. emission or income) so that she can then assign a tax to the agent. It is mandatory for the taxpayer to report his...

Audits by private, third-party auditors are frequently mandated to ensure compliance with regulations (e.g., accounting or environmental standards). We examine how such mandates shape the market for audits. In our empirical examination, we focus on one of the oldest and most prominent audit...