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GMU/ Microsoft Innovation Forum Next Week!

As Geoff noted the other day, The First Annual GMU / Microsoft Annual Conference on the Law and Economics Innovation is now just one week away. It will be Friday, May 4th at GMU Law from 9 am to 4pm. This year’s topic is “The Regulation of Innovation and Economic Growth.” Conference papers and discussion ... GMU/ Microsoft Innovation Forum Next Week!

How Steve Levitt Might Save Economics

There’s been enough attention paid to the question of whether Steve Levitt is ruining economics.  I did my share to contribute to the focus on this question.  My bad.  But now even Levitt himself has responded to Scheiber’s claim that he is ruining economics.  His response: “No I haven’t, and you wouldn’t know it if ... How Steve Levitt Might Save Economics

Angrist on Levitt, Instrumental Variables, Identification, and Defending Cuteness

It is apparently vogue to ask whether Steve Levitt is ruining economics? The serious question behind all of this is whether today’s economists have become too enamored with cute and clever questions rather than the day’s “big” questions.  I’ve already gone on the record on this one with a comment to a post over at ... Angrist on Levitt, Instrumental Variables, Identification, and Defending Cuteness

Spring Placement Round-Up

Over at PrawfsBlawg, Matt Bodie is soliciting information to compile a list of legal scholarship placed this spring submission cycle. If you want your piece included see here.

SEC takes a bite of the Apple

Today, the SEC filed securities fraud charges against two former Apple senior executives for matters pertaining to Apple’s backdating scandal.  The SEC settled its claims against former Apple CFO Fred Anderson at the same time it filed suit.  Anderson will pay about $3.5 million in disgorgement and penalties.  Former Apple General Counsel Nancy Heinen did ... SEC takes a bite of the Apple

An Interesting Paper on Unwanted Fertility and Crime

Juan Pantano, a Ph.D. Candidate in the excellent UCLA Economics Department, has a paper that some of our readers might be interested in entitled: Unwanted Fertility, Contraceptive Technology and Crime: Exploiting a Natural Experiment in Access to the Pill.  Here’s the abstract: A blossoming literature in the U.S. examines the role of abortion legalization on ... An Interesting Paper on Unwanted Fertility and Crime

Brian Leiter's Law School Rankings

Brian Leiter makes the following request: I’ve heard from many readers that when you search Brian Leiter you don’t in fact get my law school ranking site as one of the top results, even though you get my blogs, my homepages, and my philosophy ranking site.  So, dear reader with a blog, please post a ... Brian Leiter's Law School Rankings

Congratulations to Kate Litvak!

Kate Litvak (UT Law, and friend of TOTM) , whose excellent paper (discussed around the blogosphere here and here), “The Effect of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Non-US Companies Cross-Listed in the US,” has been selected as the best paper for the forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Corporate Finance associated with the Boundaries of ... Congratulations to Kate Litvak!

North Dakota Publicly Traded Corporation Act

The governor of North Dakota recently signed into law the North Dakota Publicly Traded Corporation Act (ht: Broc Romanek). The Act resembles a shareholder activist wish list including majority voting for the election of directors, elimination of staggered boards, advisory shareholder votes on executive compensation, shareholder proxy access, proxy contest reimbursement, poison pill restrictions, etc. ... North Dakota Publicly Traded Corporation Act

A New Defense of the Per Se Prohibition Against RPM?

Professor Sokol points to this paper by Ittai Paldor (an SJD student at U. Toronto) which Sokol points out qualifies as the rarely observed defense of the per se rule against RPM. Here’s an excerpt from the abstract: In the following I argue that legal policymakers’ current approach is economically justified. I show that all ... A New Defense of the Per Se Prohibition Against RPM?

FTC Website Upgrade

As David points out over at Antitrust Review, the FTC has redesigned its website.  It is much easier to use than the old version and includes much easier access to content.  Here is the link to the Sections 2 Hearings and another to a weekly calendar of FTC Commission Meetings, Speeches, Workshops, Testimony and other ... FTC Website Upgrade

Mickey Mouse Investment Banks

Last month, at Tulane’s Corporate Law Institute, Delaware Vice Chancellor Leo Strine suggested that it might not be prudent for directors to consult “Mickey Mouse†investment banks when assessing a going private (or other) deal.  Normally I am a huge Strine fan.  But I think he missed the bus on this one. Let me first ... Mickey Mouse Investment Banks