Economic Development and the Regulation of Morally Contentious Activities

Julio Elias, Nicola Lacetera, Mario Macis and Paola Salardi

No 23214, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: The regulation of many activities depends on whether societies consider them morally controversial or “repugnant”. Not only have regulation and related ethical concerns changed over time, but there is also heterogeneity across countries at a given time. We provide evidence of this heterogeneity for three morally contentious activities: abortion, prostitution and gestational surrogacy, and explore the relationship between a country’s economic conditions and how these activities are regulated. We propose a conceptual framework to identify mechanisms that can explain our findings (including the role of non-economic factors), and indicate directions for future research.

JEL-codes: D02 I18 K42 O17 O43 O57 Z12 Z18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law
Note: DEV EH LE PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published as Julio J. Elías & Nicola Lacetera & Mario Macis & Paola Salardi, 2017. "Economic Development and the Regulation of Morally Contentious Activities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 76-80, May.

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Journal Article: Economic Development and the Regulation of Morally Contentious Activities (2017)
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