We analyze a principal agent model with hidden action, limited liability and truth-telling constraints under the assumption that the principal has private information. We focus on whether the principal should reveal his private information to the agent. On the one hand, revelation allows to...

We extend the analysis of self-reporting schemes to criminal teams. When the violators behave non-cooperatively, maximum deterrence can be reached at virtually no cost by designing a prisoners' dilemma. One drawback of such a scheme is that it might induce cooperative behaviour in the...

In the last decade, forced ranking systems where employees’ bonuses depend on their rank assigned by superiors have become less popular. Whereas the inherently competitive structure of ranking systems provides high effort incentives, it might also increase incentives for misconduct. Previous...

Contests are often unfair in the sense that outperforming the rival may not be enough to be the winner, because one contestant is favored by the allocation rule, while the other one is handicapped. We consider a discriminatory contest with handicaps and derive the contestants equilibrium...

We consider a model of optimal law enforcement where sanctions can be reduced for self-reporting individuals. The literature is extended in two directions: First, we distinguish between two self-reporting stages: a first one before the case is investigated, and a second one where the criminal is...

We consider a standard two-player all-pay auction with private values, where the valuation for the object is private information to each bidder. The crucial feature is that one bidder is favored by the allocation rule in the sense that he need not bid as much as the other bidder to win the...

We analyze a model of delegated expertise with limited liability where both the agent's effort and his findings are unobservable. We show that the latter assumption reduces the agent's effort and the principal's profit in the unique subgame perfect equilibrium. Most interestingly, the...

In unavoidable traffic accidents, autonomous vehicles (AVs) face the dilemma of protecting either the passenger(s) or third parties. Recent studies show that most people prefer AVs following a utilitarian approach by minimizing total harm. At the same time, however, they would adopt an AV only...

Insurance for natural hazards - earthquakes, hurricanes, or pandemics - is rarely comprehensively adopted without intense government intervention, and even then it is often only a minority of properties or businesses that are insured. Efforts to close this insurance gap include the introduction...

Behavioral economics explains the fact that many people do not maximize their payoff by two kinds of social preferences: a positive utility from kindness (e.g. altruism and reciprocity) or a negative utility from selfishness (e.g. guilt aversion or negative social images). This distinction is...