The John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics

Research

The Law and Economics of Animus
Andrew Hayashi
People sometimes want to harm other people. This truism points to a blind spot in law and economics scholarship, which generally assumes that people... MORE
Has Cross-Border Arbitrage Met Its Match?
Ruth Mason
In this essay, we review criticisms of both the concept of international tax arbitrage and regulatory responses meant to reduce such arbitrage. We... MORE
Anticompetitive Effects and Market Definition in Platform (and Non-Platform) Markets
Thomas B. Nachbar
Market definition is a highly contested topic in antitrust. Courts’ approaches to market definition are admittedly flawed, and the case originating... MORE

Climate-Society Feedback Effects: Be Wary of Unidentified Connections
Michael A. Livermore
Feedbacks within the climate-economy system are complex. The research analyzing the relationship between human activities and the climate is... MORE
The Charitable Tax Deduction and Civic Engagement
Andrew Hayashi

Justin Hopkins
In an era characterized by inequalities of income and influence, political polarization, and the segregation of social spaces, the income tax... MORE
The Odious Haitian Independence Debt
G. Mitu Gulati
This article introduces the Haitian Independence Debt of 1825 to the odious debt and sovereign debt literatures. We argue that the legal doctrine of... MORE

Enforcing Rules Versus Enforcing Standards
Michael D. Gilbert
Comparisons between rules and standards often revolve around enforcement costs. According to conventional wisdom, rules are cheaper to enforce than... MORE
Conflict Avoidance in Constitutional Law
Charles Barzun

Michael D. Gilbert
Hard cases present a dilemma at the heart of constitutional law. Courts have a duty to decide them—to vindicate rights, to clarify law—but doing so... MORE
Protectionist Property Taxes
Andrew Hayashi

Rich Hynes
National restrictions on trade and immigration are the most salient illustrations of the current protectionist moment, but cities have played their... MORE

Do Good Citizens Need Good Laws? Economics and the Expressive Function
Andrew Hayashi

Michael D. Gilbert
We explore how adding pro-social preferences to the canonical precaution model of accidents changes either the efficient damages rule or the harm... MORE
Present Bias and Debt-Financed Durable Goods
Andrew Hayashi
Constitutional Law and Economics
Michael D. Gilbert
This chapter addresses a new and fertile research program: constitutional law and economics. Constitutional law and economics asks questions like, ‘... MORE

About

The John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics at the University of Virginia School of Law supports faculty and student interests and research relating to the economic analysis of legal issues. The program stimulates discussions and debate through conferences, workshops and lectures. It encourages student research through colloquia.

The John M. Olin Foundation Inc. was established in 1953 by John Merrill Olin (1892-1982) — inventor, industrialist, conservationist and philanthropist. Olin was committed to the preservation of the principles of political and economic liberty as they have been expressed in American thought, institutions and practice.