Law and Economics

The Law and Economics Program studies the economic causes and consequences of specific legal rules as well as the impact of the broader legal system. It encompasses the behavior of firms and individuals, and considers property rights, deterrence, and the effects of law enforcement.

Read summaries of presentations at the latest program meeting Read the latest Program Report Affiliated scholars

Program Director

Christine Jolls_180x250

Christine Jolls is the Gordon Bradford Tweedy Professor at Yale Law School. Her research concentrates on employment law, behavioral law and economics, and consumer protection. She has been an NBER affiliate since 1995.

Featured Program Content

The graph is a two-panel event-study figure titled "Right-to-Carry Laws and Urban Firearm Crimes." The left panel plots the estimated change in the firearm violent crime rate in 47 major US cities, relative to the year before right-to-carry (RTC) is adopted. The right panel plots the estimated change in the firearm robbery rate in 47 major US cities, also relative to the year before right-to-carry is adopted. The y-axis in both charts range from -20 to 60 percent, and both x-axes range from five years b
Rights to Carry Concealed Handguns and Urban Crime
  • Article
When states enact Right-to-Carry (RTC) concealed handgun laws, incidents of violent crimes, robberies, and aggravated assaults involving firearms...
Property Rights and Urban Form
  • Working Paper
How do the different elements in the standard bundle of property rights, including those of possession and transfer,...
Competition Laws, Governance, and Firm Value
  • Working Paper
Do antitrust laws influence corporate valuations? We evaluate the relationship between firm value and laws limiting...
Abstracts of New NBER Working Papers Delivered to Your Inbox
Sign-Up for New This Week
Explore Ongoing NBER Research Projects
Projects Overview