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Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Did Reform Of Prudent Trust Investment Laws Change Trust Portfolio Allocation?, Max M. Schanzenbach, Robert H. Sitkoff Dec 2005

Did Reform Of Prudent Trust Investment Laws Change Trust Portfolio Allocation?, Max M. Schanzenbach, Robert H. Sitkoff

Law and Economics Papers

This paper investigates the effect of changes in state prudent trust investment laws on asset allocation in noncommercial trusts. The old prudent man rule favored “safe” investments

such as government bonds and disfavored “speculation” in stock. The new prudent investor rule, now widely adopted, relies on modern portfolio theory, freeing the trustee to invest based on risk and return objectives reasonably suited to the trust and in light of the composition of the trust portfolio as a whole. Using state- and institution-level panel data from 1986-1997, we find that after a state’s adoption of the new prudent investor rule, trust …


Institutions And Inclusion In Saving Policy, Michael S. Barr, Michael Sherraden May 2005

Institutions And Inclusion In Saving Policy, Michael S. Barr, Michael Sherraden

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

No abstract provided.


Credit Where It Counts: Maintaining A Strong Community Reinvestment Act, Michael S. Barr May 2005

Credit Where It Counts: Maintaining A Strong Community Reinvestment Act, Michael S. Barr

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has helped to revitalize low- and moderate-income communities and provided expanded opportunities for low- and moderate-income households. Recent regulatory steps aimed at alleviating burdens on banks and thrifts are unwarranted, and may diminish small business lending as well as community development investments and services. This policy brief explains the rationale for CRA, demonstrates its effectiveness, and argues that the recent regulatory proposals should be withdrawn or significantly modified.


Modes Of Credit Market Regulation, Michael S. Barr May 2005

Modes Of Credit Market Regulation, Michael S. Barr

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

No abstract provided.


Credit Where It Counts: The Community Reinvestment Act And Its Critics, Michael S. Barr Apr 2005

Credit Where It Counts: The Community Reinvestment Act And Its Critics, Michael S. Barr

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

Despite the depth and breadth of U.S. credit markets, low- and moderate-income communities and minority borrowers have not historically enjoyed full access to credit. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was enacted in 1977 to help overcome barriers to credit that these groups faced. Scholars have long leveled numerous critiques against CRA as unnecessary, ineffectual, costly, and lawless. Many have argued that CRA should be eliminated. By contrast, I contend that market failures and discrimination justify governmental intervention and that CRA is a reasonable policy response to these problems. Using recent empirical evidence, I demonstrate that over the last decade CRA …


The Deregulation Of International Trucking In The European Union: Form And Effect, Francine Lafontaine, Laura M. Valeri Apr 2005

The Deregulation Of International Trucking In The European Union: Form And Effect, Francine Lafontaine, Laura M. Valeri

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

This paper examines how the deregulation of the international road transport industry in Western Europe has affected 1- the total quantity of cross-border road transport in the region; 2- the degree to which shippers outsource rather than integrate vertically their cross-border transport needs; and 3- the extent to which different countries participate in international road freight transport in Western Europe. Not surprisingly, we find that deregulation has had a large positive effect on the amount of international road transport net of the effect of the trade ties that grew over time among European Union countries. Moreover, consistent with the fact …


Globalization, Law & Development: Introduction And Overview, Michael S. Barr, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah Apr 2005

Globalization, Law & Development: Introduction And Overview, Michael S. Barr, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

No abstract provided.


Microfinance And Financial Development, Michael S. Barr Apr 2005

Microfinance And Financial Development, Michael S. Barr

Law & Economics Working Papers Archive: 2003-2009

No abstract provided.


Taxing Utility, Terrence Chorvat Feb 2005

Taxing Utility, Terrence Chorvat

George Mason University School of Law Working Papers Series

In order to assess the efficiency of a tax, we should examine its effect on the behavior of individuals. In general, the less a tax affects behavior, the more efficient it is thought to be. The standard example of a non-distorting tax is a lump-sum tax, which does not change with the behavior of the taxpayer. However, this article demonstrates that behavioral distortions can and do arise from a change in even a lump-sum tax. The only truly non-distortionary tax would be one based on utility itself. Utility, which has been used as a norm for distributional analysis, is also …