Should courts always enforce what contracting parties write?

Arbeitspapier

We find an economic rationale for the common sense answer to the question in our title courts should not always enforce what the contracting parties write. We describe and analyze a contractual environment that allows a role for an active court. An active court can improve on the outcome that the parties would achieve without it. The institutional role of the court is to maximize the parties' welfare under a veil of ignorance. We study a buyer-seller multiplewidget model with risk-neutral agents, asymmetric information and ex-ante investments. The court must decide when to uphold a contract and when to void it. The parties know their private information at the time of contracting, and this drives a wedge between ex-ante and interim-efficient contracts. In particular, if the court enforces all contracts, pooling obtains in equilibrium. By voiding some contracts the court is able to induce them to separate, and hence improve ex-ante welfare. In some cases, an ambiguous court that voids and upholds both with positive probability may be able to increase welfare even further.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CESifo Working Paper ; No. 1847

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Game Theory and Bargaining Theory: Other ; Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions ; Information and Uncertainty: Other ; Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior: General ; Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation; Networks
• Subject: Gerichtsbarkeit ; Asymmetrische Information ; Public Choice ; Wohlfahrtstheorie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Anderlini, Luca ; Felli, Leonardo ; Postlewaite, Andrew
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)
• (where): Munich
• (when): 2006

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/25892
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET