In 2009, France is expected to create a new minimum income guarantee called "revenu de solidarité active" (RSA) in order to replace several existing programmes. It should benefit those in work according to a degressive schedule that reminds one of the negative income tax or universal basic...

This paper explores conflicting implications of firm-specific human capital (FSHC) for firm performance. Existing theory predicts a productivity effect that can be enhanced with strong incentives. We propose an offsetting agency effect: FSHC may facilitate more sophisticated “gaming” of...

This paper studies a mechanism design model where the players and the designer are nodes in a communication network. The authors characterize the communication networks (directed graphs) for which, in any environment (utilities and beliefs), every incentive compatible social choice function is...

In 2009, France will replace its income maintenance scheme, "revenu minimum d'insertion", by a new one, revenu de solidarité active, which will improve the beneficiaries'incentives to work. While some have claimed that the reform should lower the current age limit to get the benefit, i.e., 25...