TY - JOUR
T1 - The robustness case for proportional liability
AU - Stremitzer, Alexander
AU - Tabbach, Avraham D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin / Boston 2014.
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - In important areas like medical malpractice and environmental torts, injurers are potentially insolvent and courts may make errors in determining liability (e.g. due to hindsight bias). We show that proportional liability, which holds a negligent injurer liable for harm discounted with the probability that the harm was caused by the injurer's negligence, is less susceptible to these imperfections and therefore socially preferable to all other liability rules currently contemplated by courts. We also provide a result which might be useful to regulators when calculating minimum capital requirements or minimum mandatory insurance for different industries.
AB - In important areas like medical malpractice and environmental torts, injurers are potentially insolvent and courts may make errors in determining liability (e.g. due to hindsight bias). We show that proportional liability, which holds a negligent injurer liable for harm discounted with the probability that the harm was caused by the injurer's negligence, is less susceptible to these imperfections and therefore socially preferable to all other liability rules currently contemplated by courts. We also provide a result which might be useful to regulators when calculating minimum capital requirements or minimum mandatory insurance for different industries.
KW - compliance
KW - court error
KW - judgment-proof problem
KW - proportional liability
KW - uncertain causation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84907701044&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1515/bejte-2012-0013
DO - 10.1515/bejte-2012-0013
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AN - SCOPUS:84907701044
SN - 1534-5955
VL - 14
SP - 371
EP - 395
JO - B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics
JF - B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics
IS - 1
ER -