We study reputation games where a long-lived player with a possible commitment faces a sequence of short-lived players who must pay to observe the long-lived player's past behavior. In this costly information model we show that equilibrium behavior is cyclical. The long-lived player builds her...

We present a graphical framework for analyzing both theoretical and empirical work on selection in insurance markets. We begin by using this framework to review the "textbook" adverse selection environment and its implications for insurance allocation, social welfare, and public policy. We then...

The implications of uncertainty for appropriate discounting in models of economic growth have been studied at some length, notably, Levhari and Srinivasan (1969), Gollier (2002). A detailed account has now appeared in Dasgupta (2008), sections 4 and 5 (pp. 160-166). One interesting, if perhaps...

A new generation of information and communication infrastructures, including advanced Internet computing and Grid technologies, promises to enable more direct and shared access to more widely distributed computing resources than was previously possible. Scientific and technological...

The research reported here gives priority to understanding the inter-temporal resource allocation requirements of a program of technological changes that could halt global warming by completing the transition to a “green” (zero net CO2- emission) production regime within the possibly brief...

A basic principle of law is that damages paid by a liable party should equal the harm caused by that party. However, this principle is not correct when account is taken of litigation costs, because they too are part of the social costs associated with an injury. In this article we examine the...

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis and great recession, many countries face substantial deficits and growing debts. In the United States, federal government outlays as a ratio to GDP rose substantially from about 19.5 percent before the crisis to over 24 percent after the crisis. In...

Major changes in technology and in regulation led to the proliferation of and willingness to pay for new communication services The changes in technology enabled the changes in regulation, both through the ability to increase supply and quality, but because technological change opened the...

This lecture examines monetary policy during the past three decades. It documents two contrasting eras: first a Rules-Based Era from 1985 to 2003 and second an Ad Hoc Era from 2003 to the present. During the Rules-Based Era, monetary policy, in broad terms, followed a predictable systemic...

We investigate whether individuals exhibit forward looking behavior in their response to the non-linear pricing common in health insurance contracts. Our primary empirical strategy exploits the fact that employees who join an employer-provided health insurance plan later in the calendar year...