As a result of external pressures and to meet its own economic objectives, China has been moving its intellectual property rights (IPR) regime closer to those found in many more developed nations. As China’s economy grows, its transition from manufacturingbased to knowledge-based production, more comprehensive laws, and more attention to enforcement have led to an increase in the number of IPR ...

Many countries in West Asia, defined in this study as the Arabic-speaking countries of the Arabian Peninsula plus Turkey and Iran, have enacted environmental conservation laws but regional underlying drivers of environment change, such as rising incomes and fast-growing populations, continue to put pressure on remaining wetlands. This paper aims to inform conservation efforts by presenting the ...

We show that the frequency distributions of cultural variants, in three different real-world examples--first names, archaeological pottery and applications for technology patents--follow power laws that can be explained by a simple model of random drift. We conclude that cultural and economic choices often reflect a decision process that is value-neutral; this result has far-reaching testable i...

A long line of work emphasizes the correlation between institutions and economic performance (Adam Smith 1776; W. Arthur Lewis 1955; Douglass C. North 1990). Rich countries have laws that provide incentives to engage in productive economic activity. Investors rely on secure property rights, facilitating investment in human and physical capital; government power is balanced and restricted by an ...

In July 2009, the Obama Administration proposed legislation that would create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (“CFPA”). Among other items, the proposed legislation would eliminate federal preemption of state consumer protection laws, which would encourage states to reintroduce a scattering of local rules and regulations. Federal rules promulgated by the newly created Consumer Financial P...