Optimal Law Enforcement with Self-Reporting of Behavior

39 Pages Posted: 19 Jun 2004 Last revised: 12 Dec 2022

See all articles by Louis Kaplow

Louis Kaplow

Harvard Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Steven Shavell

Harvard Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: August 1991

Abstract

Self-reporting -- the reporting by parties of their own behavior to an enforcement authority -- is a commonly observed aspect of law enforcement, as in the context of environmental and safety regulation. We add self-reporting to the model of the control of harmful externalities through probabilistic law enforcement. Optimal self-reporting schemes are characterized and are shown to offer two advantages over schemes without self-reporting: enforcement resources are saved because individuals who are led to report harmful acts need not be identified; risk is reduced because individuals bear certain sanctions when they report their behavior, rather than face uncertain sanctions.

Suggested Citation

Kaplow, Louis and Shavell, Steven, Optimal Law Enforcement with Self-Reporting of Behavior (August 1991). NBER Working Paper No. w3822, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=226741

Louis Kaplow (Contact Author)

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Steven Shavell

Harvard Law School ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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