While utilizing social networks is common in labor markets and may benefit both firms and laborers, social networks are argued to be unusually important in the popular arts. Prior work in economics on the role of relationships in labor markets has generally focused on the benefits and not the...

pThe credit card market has evolved into what is defined here as a "peacock market." Analogous to extravagant and inefficient male peacock displays, a "peacock market" has developed to become dominated by elaborate signals that are no longer connected in a meaningful way to price, quality, or...

Markups on auto loan interest rates are routinely used to compensate a dealership for the service of securing financing with a third party lender. However, rate markups add percentage points to the rate a consumer would legitimately qualify for, and are added without the adequate disclosure to...

'Stacked Deck' is a statistical analysis of outcomes in forced arbitration, also called mandatory arbitration or binding mandatory arbitration, that finds: 1) Individual arbitrators have a strong incentive to favor the firms that provide them with repeat business over an individual consumer they...

A survey was conducted regarding consumers choices whether to "opt-in" to overdraft coverage for their checking accounts. Many banks routinely cover any transaction that overdraws a customer's account, including checks, ATM withdrawals, and point-of-sale debit transactions for a fee of about $34...