Speaker: A/Prof Giri Parameswaran
Affiliation: Haverford College
Location: Room 309, Steele Building (#03), UQ St Lucia campus
Abstract
Why is what a reasonable person would do the standard for assessing whether an individual’s actions should result in liability? To answer this question, we develop a model where two actors must decide how much to invest in accident prevention. Each actor knows their own cost, but is ignorant of their counterparty’s. Where coordination is critical, the court prefers to hold actors to a standard associated with some average cost, rather than a standard targeted to what is, in fact, the actor’s true cost— a cost the court knows perfectly. Further, the court finds it optimal to mesh the objective standard with a path towards forgiveness for the least able actors. Finally, we demonstrate that the appropriateness of objective standards turns on whether care decisions are complements or substitutes. Throughout, we show how many otherwise puzzling legal rules and doctrine are consistent with the predictions of the model
About the presenter's meeting
A/Prof Parameswaran will be visiting the School of Economics on Friday 14thOctober. While here, he will be using Room 520A, Level 5, Colin Clark Building(#39). If you would like to meet with A/Prof Parameswaran, please contact Prof Claudio Mezzetti
About School Seminar Series
The School of Economics General Seminar Series is held on Fridays. These are in-person and presented by a range of guest researchers from around Australia and internationally.