Despite all the work on how campaign donations influence a politician's behavior, the nagging question of whether contributions alter how the politician votes or whether these contributions constitute support for like-minded individuals remains unresolved. By combining the campaign contributions...

Many recent game-theoretic models suggest that, with asymmetric information, it can be profitable for firms to acquire a reputation for toughness to discourage later entry. The authors identify institutional arrangements that firms must undertake if predatory commitments are to be credible. For...

There is general agreement that burglary produces social costs over and beyond the damage done to the victim if a crime raises other potential victims' subjective estimates of being robbed and thus increases their investments in protecting themselves (e.g., purchasing more locks). Economists...

Using cross-sectional time-series data for U.S. counties from 1977 to 1992, We find that allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes, without increasing accidental deaths. If those states without right-to-carry concealed gun provisions had adopted them in 1992, county- and...

Will increasing the number of minority and women police officers make law enforcement more effective by drawing on abilities that have gone untapped and creating better contact with communities and victims? Or will standards have to be lowered too far before large numbers of minorities and women...