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University of Michigan Law School

Contracts

Contracts

2005

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

"Boilerplate": An Introduction, Omri Ben-Shahar Nov 2005

"Boilerplate": An Introduction, Omri Ben-Shahar

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

This short essay introduces the themes that are developed in twelve articles that were delivered recently in a symposium on “Boilerplate: Foundations of Market Contracts” at the University of Michigan Law School. The proceeding of the symposium will be published in Volume 104 of the Michigan Law Review.


Boilerplate And Economic Power In Auto Manufacturing Contracts, Omri Ben-Shahar, James J. White Nov 2005

Boilerplate And Economic Power In Auto Manufacturing Contracts, Omri Ben-Shahar, James J. White

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

This article studies the standard form contracts used by automobile manufacturers to purchase auto parts. It explores how the contracts reflect divisions of bargaining power, asymmetric information, problems of hold-up and renegotiation, and market competition. Based on interviews with representatives of buyers and suppliers, the article also describes the process of drafting the forms, the negotiation over price and other terms in the shadow of these forms, and the opportunities for non-drafters to extract improved terms. Some of the main lessons are: (i) The terms of the contracts and the bidding process prevent ex-post hold-up by suppliers (in contrast to …