About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

22 Sup. Ct. Econ. Rev. 1 (2015)

handle is hein.journals/supeco22 and id is 1 raw text is: An Assessment of Behavioral Law and
Economics Contentions and What We
Know Empirically about Credit Card Use
by Consumers
Thomas A. Durkin*
Gregory Elliehausen * *
Todd J. Zywicki* * *
Behavioral Law and Economics (BLE) is a specialized com-
ponent of the legal literature that purports to base its conclu-
sions on a branch of economic analysis known as behavioral
economics. The central claim of BLE is that by applying
findings of behavioral economics to the real world it can pro-
vide more accurate assumptions about individual behavior
and decision making than neoclassical economics and thus
better and more effective policy prescriptions where needed.
To date, however, BLE's claims have been almost entirely a
priori, taking certain suggested biases identified in the labo-
ratory experiments by behavioral economists and claiming
that they extend significantly to actual consumer behavior
and the need for regulation. Yet it is well accepted that the
proper test of the scientific validity of an economic theory is
the accuracy of its predictions relative to empirically testable
hypotheses, not a priori reasoning or hypothetical extensions.
Formerly Senior Economist (now retired), Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System.
* Senior Economist, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The
views expressed here are those of the authors and not those of the Federal Reserve
Board or its staff.
* * GMU Foundation Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law;
Senior Scholar, Mercatus Center. We would like to thank Darryl Getter, Bruce John-
sen, Joshua Wright, and participants at the George Mason University School of Law
Levy Fellows Workshop for comments on earlier drafts of this article and Chaim
Mandelbaum for research assistance.
© 2015 by the University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 978-0-226-16666-7/2015/0022-0001$10.00

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most