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Theft as a Paradigm for Departures from Efficiency

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  • Usher, D

Abstract

The social cost of theft can be divided into four categories--alternative cost of the labor of the thief, alternative cost of the defensive labor of his victim, destruction of product in the act of theft, and deadweight loss. Theft stands as a paradigm for all departures from efficiency because their social costs can also be subsumed under these categories. The analogy with theft unifies the study of departures from efficiency, simplifies exposition, and places special emphasis upon the deliberate use of one's resources to appropriate what others have produced rather than to produce what others wish to consume. Copyright 1987 by Royal Economic Society.

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  • Usher, D, 1987. "Theft as a Paradigm for Departures from Efficiency," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 39(2), pages 235-252, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxecpp:v:39:y:1987:i:2:p:235-52
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    Cited by:

    1. Mehlum, Halvor & Moene, Karl O. & Torvik, Ragnar, 2003. "Parasites," Memorandum 16/2003, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    2. Richard Cornes & Roger Hartley & Yuji Tamura, 2019. "Two‐Aggregate Games: Demonstration Using a Production–Appropriation Model," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 121(1), pages 353-378, January.
    3. Grossman, Herschel I. & Kim, Minseong, 2002. "Is a moral disposition rewarded?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(9), pages 1811-1820, September.
    4. Herschel I. Grossman & Minseong Kim, 2003. "Educational Policy: Egalitarian or Elitist?," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(3), pages 225-246, November.
    5. Grossman, Herschel I., 2005. "Inventors and pirates: creative activity and intellectual property rights," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 269-285, June.
    6. Casilda Lasso de la Vega & Oscar Volij & Federico Weinschelbaum, 2023. "When do more police induce more crime?," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 76(3), pages 759-778, October.
    7. Raul Caruso, 2008. "Reciprocity in the shadow of threat," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 55(1), pages 91-111, April.
    8. Robert Gmeiner, 2019. "Innovation, Theft, and Market Structure," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 47(3), pages 243-260, September.
    9. Mehlum, Halvor & Moene, Karl & Torvik, Ragnar, 2003. "Predator or prey?: Parasitic enterprises in economic development," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 275-294, April.
    10. Casilda Lasso de la Vega & Oscar Volij & Federico Weinschelbaum, 2021. "Can more police induce more crime?," Working Papers 2107, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Department of Economics.
    11. J. Amegashie, 2008. "Incomplete property rights, redistribution, and welfare," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 30(4), pages 685-699, May.
    12. Duffy, John & Kim, Minseong, 2005. "Anarchy in the laboratory (and the role of the state)," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 297-329, March.
    13. Lasso de la Vega, Casilda & Volij, Oscar & Weinschelbaum, Federico, 2021. "Theft in equilibrium," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    14. del Río, Fernando, 2018. "Property Rights, Predation, and Productivity," MPRA Paper 86246, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Kjell Hausken, 2005. "Production and Conflict Models Versus Rent-Seeking Models," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 59-93, April.
    16. de Janvry, Alain & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 2004. "Optimal Share Contracts under Theft," CUDARE Working Papers 25119, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    17. Danish Ahmed Siddiqui & Qazi Masood Ahmed, 2019. "Does Institutions Effect Growth in Pakistan? An Empirical investigation," Journal of Asian Development, Macrothink Institute, vol. 5(2), pages 1-24, April.
    18. Fernando del Río, 2019. "Property Rights, Predation, and Productivity," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 121(3), pages 1154-1188, July.
    19. Compton, Andrew, 2019. "Decomposing the Societal Opportunity Costs of Property Crime," MPRA Paper 97002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Grossman, Herschel I. & Kim, Minseong, 2000. "Predators, moral decay, and moral revivals," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 173-187, June.
    21. Grossman, Herschel I., 2002. ""Make us a king": anarchy, predation, and the state," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 31-46, March.
    22. Marceau, Nicolas & Mongrain, Steeve, 1999. "Dissuader le crime : un survol," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 75(1), pages 123-147, mars-juin.

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