The John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics

Research

Algorithmic Social Engineering
Megan T. Stevenson
We examine the microeconomics of using algorithms to nudge decision-makers towards particular social outcomes. We refer to this as "algorithmic... MORE
The Fiduciary Rule Controversy and the Future of Investment Advice
Quinn Curtis
One of the most disputed policy initiatives of the Obama administration was the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule, which subjects brokers and... 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

The Price of Abstraction
Gregory Mitchell
Behavioral Law and Economics’ effort to replace standard microeconomic assumptions with more realistic, yet still simple assumptions — without... MORE
Distortion of Justice: How the Inability to Pay Bail Affects Case Outcomes
Megan T. Stevenson
This paper uses a natural experiment to analyze whether incarceration during the pretrial period affects case outcomes. In Philadelphia, defendants... MORE
Competing Sovereignty and Laws’ Domains
Paul B. Stephan
In the contemporary world, the domains of laws overlap a lot. With human activity (business, family, political, creative) unfolding at a greater... MORE

Assessing Risk Assessment in Action
Megan T. Stevenson
Recent years have seen a rush toward evidence-based tools in criminal justice. As part of this movement, many jurisdictions have adopted actuarial... MORE
The Scale of Misdemeanor Justice
Megan T. Stevenson
This Article seeks to provide the most comprehensive national-level empirical analysis of misdemeanor criminal justice that is currently feasible... MORE
Adam Smith, Prophet of Law and Economics
Paul G. Mahoney
Adam Smith is not normally identified as an important figure in law and economics. However, his Lectures on Jurisprudence contain a surprising... MORE

The Economic Foundation of the Dormant Commerce Clause
Ruth Mason
Last Term, a sharply divided Supreme Court decided a landmark dormant Commerce Clause case, Comptroller of the Treasury of Maryland v. Wynne. Wynne... MORE
The Downstream Consequences of Misdemeanor Pretrial Detention
Megan T. Stevenson
In misdemeanor cases, pretrial detention poses a particular problem because it may induce otherwise innocent defendants to plead guilty in order to... MORE
Law and Economics of Agency and Partnership
George M. Cohen
This chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Law and Economics offers an economic theory of how the law of agency and partnership facilitates economic... 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.

Faculty Director

Jason S. Johnston

Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation Professor of Law
Director, John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics

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The John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics

The John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics

The John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics

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