Never the Single Measure, Essays on Taxes, Careers and Surveying Corporate Managers

Abstract

During my time as a Ph.D. student I got interested in phenomena that are most easily characterized as 'gaming' behavior. As a society we have developed extensive systems of rules and institutions to achieve desirable outcomes. These institutions take care of every aspect of our lives, from the interest we get on the bank, to the distribution of crime and punishment and the regulation of radio frequencies for the use of tv, radio and cellcommunications. The presence of rules allows us to verify, ex post, whether the correct procedure was followed, and thus ensure that (governmental) power is not abused. They create a system in society that can be used to hold people responsible for their behavior and thus form an essential part of an ordered society.