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.

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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

Increased Immigration Enforcement and the Public Safety of Hispanics Figure
Increased Immigration Enforcement and the Public Safety of Hispanics
  • Article
 In 2008, the US government launched the Secure Communities (SC) program, an information-sharing initiative that expanded the government’s ability to...
Machine Learning Can Predict Shooting Victimization Well Enough to Help Prevent It
  • Working Paper
This paper shows that shootings are predictable enough to be preventable. Using arrest and victimization records for...
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...
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