On the Interaction of Individual and Collective Crime

This paper shows that increasing the sanction on collective crime may increase its prevalence. This situation arises when individuals can commit crimes both individually and as part of a collective. Our result is based on an interdependence between detection probabilities where detection of an individual crime may result in the uncovering of the collective crime as well.Law enforcement, Crime, Collective Crime

Emotions in Litigation Contests

This paper introduces the concept of emotions into the standard litigation contest. Positive (negative) emotions emerge when litigants win (lose) at trial and are dependent in particular on the level of defendant fault. Our findings establish that standard results of litigation contests change significantly when emotions are taken into account. We show that emotions may increase or decrease individual and total equilibrium contest effort, introduce an asymmetry into the contest, and reinforce or weaken a plaintiff’s incentives to bring a suit. In addition, we consider how emotions impact on justice.emotions, litigation contest, trial, defendant fault

Market Liberalization, Regulatory Uncertainty, and Firm Investment

Motivated by the German postal market, this paper analyzes the effects of regulatory uncertainty about labor costs for investment into a liberalized market. We distinguish between the external investment margin (market entry) and the internal investment margin (technology) and establish that regulatory uncertainty affects these margins differently, encouraging market entry but discouraging investment at the internal margin. As a consequence, the impact of regulatory uncertainty on competition in liberalized markets is the result of these two countervailing forces.regulatory uncertainty, investment, market entry, minimum wage

Switching Consumers and Product Liability: On the Optimality of Incomplete Strict Liability

This article shows that it may be socially optimal to grant accident victims less than full compensation. In our framework, firms are liable under product liability but also invest in care to prevent consumers switching to competitors. Affecting the partition of consumers by means of care-taking is not desirable from a social standpoint. Consequently, it may be optimal to reduce liability below full compensation in order to adjust firms’ care incentives.Tort law; product liability, care level, asymmetric information, switching

Private Protection Against Crime when Property Value is Private Information,

Abstract This paper analyzes private precautions against crime when the value of the property to be protected is private information. In a framework in which potential criminals can choose between different crime opportunities, we establish that decentralized decision-making by potential victims may lead to suboptimal levels of investment in private protection. This outcome is possible when observable precautions inform potential offenders about the value at risk even when the diversion effect due to private safety measures is taken into account

Incidence and Risk Factors of Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in Multiple Myeloma Patients Having Undergone Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

Background: Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a severe complication of bisphosphonate therapy. Due to their long survival and subsequently high cumulative doses of bisphosphonates, multiple myeloma patients have the highest risk of developing BRONJ of all patients treated with bisphosphonates. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for BRONJ in multiple myeloma patients after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 120 multiple myeloma patients after high-dose chemotherapy and ASCT treated with bisphosphonates and assessed the incidence and risk factors of BRONJ. Results: Of the 120 patients, 23 (19%) developed BRONJ. 6 patients suffered several BRONJ events, resulting in a total incidence of 23%. The risk for BRONJ was significantly higher for patients with rheumatism and recent dental manipulations. Furthermore, the number of previous bisphosphonate rotations, the duration of bisphosphonate therapy, and the type and cumulative dose of bisphosphonate used were associated with the incidence of BRONJ. Conclusion: Our study is the first to determine the risk of BRONJ in a homogeneous group of multiple myeloma patients treated with high-dose chemotherapy and ASCT