Law

Research

Trial By Battle Peter Leeson \| Mar 01, 2011 For over a century England's judicial system decided land disputes by ordering disputants' legal representatives to bludgeon one another before an arena of spectating citizens. The victor won the property right for his principal. The vanquished lost his cause and, if he were unlucky, his life. People called these combats trials by battle. This paper investigates the law and economics of trial by battle.	Trial by Battle Peter Leeson \| Jul 09, 2010 For over a century England's judicial system decided land disputes by ordering disputants' legal representatives to bludgeon one another before an arena of spectating citizens. People called these…
Rationality, Pirates, and the Law Peter Leeson \| Jun 01, 2010 Perhaps most important in bringing pirates to their end was a series of early 18th-century legal changes that made it possible to effectively prosecute them. This short paper’s purpose is to recount those legal changes and document their effectiveness. Its other purpose is to analyze pirates’ response to the legal changes designed to exterminate them, which succeeded, at least partly, in frustrating the government’s goal.	Ordeals Peter Leeson \| Apr 06, 2010 For 400 years the most sophisticated persons in Europe decided difficult criminal cases by putting the defendants through ordeals. I argue that ordeals accurately assigned accused criminals guilt…
Speed Bankruptcy as the TARP Alternative Garett Jones, Katelyn Christ, \| Feb 03, 2010 Policymakers continue to seek viable alternatives to resolve large insolvent financial institutions. A better option is speed bankruptcy: a process of converting some long-term debt into equity, a…	The Laws of Lawlessness Peter Leeson \| Sep 30, 2009 According to conventional wisdom, self-governance cannot facilitate order between the members of different social groups. This is considered doubly true for the members of social groups that are avowed enemies of one another. This paper argues that it can.

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Testimony & Comments

Wall Street and Fiduciary Duties: Can Jail Time Serve as an Adequate Deterrent for Willful Violations? J. W. Verret \| May 04, 2010 Professor J.W. Verret discusses the question of fiduciary duties for Wall Street brokers and the possible implications new regulations could have on markets.	Hearing on Short-termism in Financial Markets J. W. Verret \| Apr 29, 2010 In this testimony before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - Subcommittee on Economic Policy, Professor J.W. Verret discusses the causes of short-termism in today's capital…
Conflicts between Institutional Investors and Retail Investors in using Federal Securities Laws to Regulate Campaign Finance J. W. Verret \| Mar 11, 2010 In this testimony, Professor Verret notes that current law being considered, H.R. 4537, attempts to contort the securities laws to regulate campaign finance risking and limiting the ability of…	The U.S. Government as Dominant Shareholder How Should Taxpayers' Ownership Rights be Exercised? J. W. Verret \| Dec 16, 2009 During the financial crisis of 2008, the federal government used taxpayer funds through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) to buy shares in private firms. In his testimony, Prof. J.W. Verret…
The Misdirection of Current Corporate Governance Proposals J. W. Verret \| Jul 29, 2009 In Congressional testimony, Professor J.W. Verret argues against recent corporate governance proposals because the proposed reform stand in the way of shareholder choice.	Flaws in the AIG Trust Agreement and Implications for Pending Citigroup and Other TARP Trusts J. W. Verret \| May 13, 2009

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Experts

Donald J. Boudreaux

Donald J. Boudreaux is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

Jerry Brito is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center and directs the Technology Policy Program. His primary research interests are technology and telecommunications policy, government transparency and accountability, and the regulatory process.

Kevin McCabe

Kevin McCabe is a scholar at the Mercatus Center and a professor of economics and law at George Mason University. His primary research interests are neuroeconomics, experimental economics, economic systems design, and social change.

Andrew Morriss

Andrew P. Morriss is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His primary research interests are energy issues, environmental regulation, and the development of offshore financial centers.

William Ruger

William P. Ruger is an assistant professor in the political science department at Texas State University. He has been an affiliated scholar with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University since 2008.

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Videos

Don Boudreaux Supports the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger on Freedom Watch

Donald J. Boudreaux | September 01, 2011

Alex Tabarrok Talks Bounty Hunters on Stossel

Alexander Tabarrok | August 18, 2011

Podcasts

Marvin Ammori on Internet freedom

Jerry Brito | March 12, 2013

Marvin Ammori, a fellow at the New American Foundation and author of the new book On Internet Freedom explains his view of how the First Amendment applies the Internet through the lens of constitutional law and real world case studies.

Download the MP3

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Recent Events

Continuing Legal Education: The Power To Regulate Commerce

Join us for this Continuing Legal Education course discussing the scope of Congressional power to regulate health care as part of the commerce clause of Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

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Books

Do Markets Need Government?

Peter Leeson | Aug 26, 2008

The long-standing existence of vibrant markets under conditions of real or quasi-statelessness suggests that private ‘rules of the game’ must be possible without government. This chapter examines…

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More Media Clippings

Trial By Battle Peter Leeson \| Mar 01, 2011 For over a century England's judicial system decided land disputes by ordering disputants' legal representatives to bludgeon one another before an arena of spectating citizens. The victor won the property right for his principal. The vanquished lost his cause and, if he were unlucky, his life. People called these combats trials by battle. This paper investigates the law and economics of trial by battle.	Trial by Battle Peter Leeson \| Jul 09, 2010 For over a century England's judicial system decided land disputes by ordering disputants' legal representatives to bludgeon one another before an arena of spectating citizens. People called these…
Rationality, Pirates, and the Law Peter Leeson \| Jun 01, 2010 Perhaps most important in bringing pirates to their end was a series of early 18th-century legal changes that made it possible to effectively prosecute them. This short paper’s purpose is to recount those legal changes and document their effectiveness. Its other purpose is to analyze pirates’ response to the legal changes designed to exterminate them, which succeeded, at least partly, in frustrating the government’s goal.	Ordeals Peter Leeson \| Apr 06, 2010 For 400 years the most sophisticated persons in Europe decided difficult criminal cases by putting the defendants through ordeals. I argue that ordeals accurately assigned accused criminals guilt…
Speed Bankruptcy as the TARP Alternative Garett Jones, Katelyn Christ, \| Feb 03, 2010 Policymakers continue to seek viable alternatives to resolve large insolvent financial institutions. A better option is speed bankruptcy: a process of converting some long-term debt into equity, a…	The Laws of Lawlessness Peter Leeson \| Sep 30, 2009 According to conventional wisdom, self-governance cannot facilitate order between the members of different social groups. This is considered doubly true for the members of social groups that are avowed enemies of one another. This paper argues that it can.

Wall Street and Fiduciary Duties: Can Jail Time Serve as an Adequate Deterrent for Willful Violations? J. W. Verret \| May 04, 2010 Professor J.W. Verret discusses the question of fiduciary duties for Wall Street brokers and the possible implications new regulations could have on markets.	Hearing on Short-termism in Financial Markets J. W. Verret \| Apr 29, 2010 In this testimony before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - Subcommittee on Economic Policy, Professor J.W. Verret discusses the causes of short-termism in today's capital…
Conflicts between Institutional Investors and Retail Investors in using Federal Securities Laws to Regulate Campaign Finance J. W. Verret \| Mar 11, 2010 In this testimony, Professor Verret notes that current law being considered, H.R. 4537, attempts to contort the securities laws to regulate campaign finance risking and limiting the ability of…	The U.S. Government as Dominant Shareholder How Should Taxpayers' Ownership Rights be Exercised? J. W. Verret \| Dec 16, 2009 During the financial crisis of 2008, the federal government used taxpayer funds through the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) to buy shares in private firms. In his testimony, Prof. J.W. Verret…
The Misdirection of Current Corporate Governance Proposals J. W. Verret \| Jul 29, 2009 In Congressional testimony, Professor J.W. Verret argues against recent corporate governance proposals because the proposed reform stand in the way of shareholder choice.	Flaws in the AIG Trust Agreement and Implications for Pending Citigroup and Other TARP Trusts J. W. Verret \| May 13, 2009

Mercatus Center

Law

Law

Research

Trial By Battle

Trial by Battle

Rationality, Pirates, and the Law

Ordeals

Speed Bankruptcy as the TARP Alternative

The Laws of Lawlessness

Testimony & Comments

Wall Street and Fiduciary Duties: Can Jail Time Serve as an Adequate Deterrent for Willful Violations?

Hearing on Short-termism in Financial Markets

Conflicts between Institutional Investors and Retail Investors in using Federal Securities Laws to Regulate Campaign Finance

The U.S. Government as Dominant Shareholder How Should Taxpayers' Ownership Rights be Exercised?

The Misdirection of Current Corporate Governance Proposals

Flaws in the AIG Trust Agreement and Implications for Pending Citigroup and Other TARP Trusts

Experts

Donald J. Boudreaux

Jerry Brito

Kevin McCabe

Andrew Morriss

William Ruger

Videos

Don Boudreaux Supports the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger on Freedom Watch

Alex Tabarrok Talks Bounty Hunters on Stossel

Podcasts

Marvin Ammori on Internet freedom

Recent Events

Continuing Legal Education: The Power To Regulate Commerce

Books

Do Markets Need Government?

Media Clippings

New Study Crushes Conventional Wisdom on Role of Money in Politics

Jerry Brito on Copyright as Cronyism

GM's Finances Temporarily Propped Up by Japanese Woes

The Auto Bailout and the Rule of Law

Veronique de Rugy on a Constitutional Budget Amendment