4/2003

Ökonomische Vertragstheorie in der deutschen Literatur
- vom Nutzen der Literatur für Ökonomie und Politikberatung

Urs Birchler

German literature is a rich source of illustrations to the economic theory of contracts. We find instances of optimal and of non-optimal contracts along with ideas from principal-agent theory and from game theory like the winner's curse or the prisoner's dilemma. Literary works thus provide inspiring examples for teaching economics. But they also remind of the literary side of economics and, finally, they cast some light on the practical applicability of economic concepts.

Back to Table of Contents