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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Economics Of Counterfeiting, Elena Quercioli, Lones Smith
The Economics Of Counterfeiting, Elena Quercioli, Lones Smith
Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations
We develop a strategic theory of counterfeiting as a multi-market large game. Bad guys choose whether to counterfeit, and what quality to produce. Opposing them is a continuum of good guys who select a costly verification effort. In equilibrium, counterfeiters produce better quality at higher notes, but verifiers try sufficiently harder that verification still improves. We develop a graphical framework for deducing comparative statics. Passed and counterfeiting rates vanish for low and high notes. Our predictions are consistent with time series and cross-sectional patterns in a unique data set assembled largely from the Secret Service