We study the effect of alternative fee shifting rules on the probability of settlement when the defendant's liability is under dispute. Using a mechanism design approach we demonstrate that the probability of settlement is maximized by a particular Pleadings mechanism: Both parties are given the...

We model how lobbying by interest groups affects the level of investor protection. In our model, insiders in existing public companies, institutional investors (financial intermediaries), and entrepreneurs who plan to take companies public in the future, compete for influence over the...

We study the incentives of privately informed traders who have access to two forms of trade: direct negotiations with a small number of buyers and sellers (or decentralized trade), and centralized markets with a relatively large number of buyers and sellers. We show that "weak" trader types...