Liability Insurance: Equilibrium Contracts under Monopoly and Competition

B-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
Year: 2021
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 83-115

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

In liability lawsuits (e.g., patent infringement), a plaintiff demands compensation from a defendant, and the parties often negotiate a settlement to avoid a costly trial. Liability insurance creates bargaining leverage for the defendant in this settlement negotiation. We study the characteristics of monopoly and equilibrium contracts in settings where this leverage effect is a substantial source of value for insurance. Our results show that under adverse selection, a monopolist offers at most two contracts, which underinsure low-risk types and may inefficiently induce high-risk types to litigate. In a competitive market, only a pooling equilibrium with underinsurance may exist.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejmic:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:83-115
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25