Arbeitspapier

Measuring unmeasurable: How to map laws to numbers using leximetrics

As the institutional literature convincingly shows, socioeconomic phenomena are to a large extent shaped by the formal institutions, that is, legal acts (laws and ordinances). However, the latter are formulated in a specific language that is difficult to understand, let alone to measure. However, since the early 1990s, a whole branch of economic analysis of governmental regulations has evolved. It is known as leximetrics, i.e., the measuring of laws. It covers a wide range of economic sectors, such as financial, labor, housing, and product markets, among others. The two most popular methods are codification and surveys. Under the first method, the legal texts are analyzed, relevant provisions extracted, and numeric values assigned depending on these provisions. Under the surveys method, local experts are asked to provide their assessment of currently valid legal provisions and sometimes also their enforcement. In both cases, the legal texts are mapped onto real-valued indices with the objective of gauging the intensity of governmental regulations. These indices can be and are successfully used to explain the economic phenomena. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the leximetric literature and demonstrates interdependences between different types of governmental regulations.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: DIW Discussion Papers ; No. 1933

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Index Numbers and Aggregation; Leading indicators
Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies; includes inheritance and gift taxes
Real Estate Law
Production Analysis and Firm Location: Government Policy
Thema
leximetrics
governmental regulations
economics

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Kholodilin, Konstantin A.
Pfeiffer, Linus
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)
(wo)
Berlin
(wann)
2021

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:44 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Kholodilin, Konstantin A.
  • Pfeiffer, Linus
  • Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)

Entstanden

  • 2021

Ähnliche Objekte (12)