Center for Public Law and Political Economy

Research

The Limits of Information Revelation in Multilateral Negotiations: A Theory of Treatymaking
Kevin Cope
States negotiate over the specific terms of multilateral treaties because those terms determine states’ willingness to ratify the treaty. In some... MORE
Algorithmic Risk Assessment in the Hands of Humans
Megan T. Stevenson
We evaluate the impacts of adopting algorithmic risk assessments as an aid to judicial discretion in felony sentencing. We find that judges'... MORE
Does Cash Bail Deter Misconduct?
Megan T. Stevenson
Courts routinely use low cash bail as a financial incentive to ensure that released defendants appear in court and abstain from crime. This can... MORE

Algorithmic Social Engineering
Megan T. Stevenson
We examine the microeconomics of using algorithms to nudge decision-makers toward particular social outcomes. We refer to this as "algorithmic social... MORE
The Transformation of International Tax
Ruth Mason
The recession of 2008 precipitated a political crisis that motivated an unprecedented international project to curb corporate tax dodging. This... MORE
Probabilistic Causation in the Law
Frederick Schauer

Barbara A. Spellman

Misdemeanors by the Numbers
Megan T. Stevenson
Recent scholarship has underlined the importance of criminal misdemeanor law enforcement, including the impact of public-order policing on... MORE
Police Shootings: Is Accountability the Enemy of Prevention
Barbara E. Armacost
Police officers shoot an unarmed man or woman. The victim’s family and community cry out for someone to be held accountable. In minority communities... MORE
Insincere Evidence
Michael D. Gilbert
Proving a violation of law is costly. Because of the cost, minor violations of law often go unproven and thus unpunished. To illustrate, almost... MORE

Risk and Resources: A Qualitative Perspective on Low-Level Sentencing in Virginia
John T. Monahan
Virginia's sentencing guidelines include alternative sanctions based on the use of a quantitative instrument called the Nonviolent Risk Assessment (... MORE
Identifying Illegal Subsidies
Ruth Mason
This Article argues that current methods for identifying illegal tax subsidies trigger the well-known conceptual difficulties of tax-expenditure... MORE
Deregulation and the Subprime Crisis
Paul G. Mahoney
Many popular and academic commentators identify deregulation as a cause of the 2007-08 financial crisis. Some argue that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act... MORE

About

The University of Virginia has a renowned history in political economy. Beginning in the 1950s, James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock applied economics to political processes and wrote “The Calculus of Consent,” a classic study of constitutional democracy. In 1960, Ronald Coase wrote “The Problem of Social Cost,” a foundational paper on economics and law. Together these UVA professors won two Nobel Prizes, founded academic fields, and influenced thousands of scholars and students.

The Center for Public Law and Political Economy continues this tradition. UVA Law features a large and distinguished group of scholars who apply insights from economics and political science to the study of public law, including constitutional law, election law, regulation and tax. The center unites and supports their scholarship. The center also provides students, researchers and practitioners with opportunities to connect with these ideas through workshops, conferences and other events.