George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

Call for Papers: Empirical Research on the Law and Economics of Digital Information Policy

The Program on Economics & Privacy (PEP), part of the Law & Economics Center at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, is seeking to provide financial support for empirical research on the law and economics of digital information policy. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to the following:

  • The relationship between online targeted advertising and product market competition.
  • The relationship between online targeted advertising, and online content creation and quality.
  • Ad-supported online media and equity of access to content.
  • Measuring harms from data breach.
  • Consumer valuation of privacy.
  • The effect of disclosures on consumer privacy choices.
  • The relationship between product market competition and firms’ data practices.
  • The effect of privacy regulation on product market competition.

Funded proposals are eligible to receive up to $10,000 in financial support, which is intended to cover costs of data acquisition, research assistance, and research-related travel.  Chosen applicants will receive half of their support when the project is selected, and the remaining half when all of the conditions of the funding are fulfilled.

Research projects should be completed and publicly available by October 31, 2022.  Authors are expected to seek publication in a suitable academic journal, and completed research will be posted on the Antonin Scalia Law School Law & Economics Research Papers Series.  Selected authors will also record a brief video explaining their work, which will be posted on the PEP website.

The deadline for proposals is October 4, 2021, and successful applicants will be notified by October 18, 2021.

Proposals should contain the following elements:

  • A description of the project, including the problem to be examined, how it contributes to the relevant academic literature, policy relevance, hypotheses, empirical methodologies, and data sources.
  • A discussion of the feasibility of completion by the October 31, 2022 deadline, including a preliminary timeline.
  • A budget.
  • CVs from all authors

To submit a proposal, please email your project description and other relevant information to pep@gmu.edu. Please note this is separate from our Call for Papers for the Research Roundtable on The Data-Competition Interface.

PEP is part of the Law & Economics Center at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School. PEP’s mission is to inject sound economic analysis into policy discussions surrounding privacy, data security, and other competition and consumer protection issues facing the digital economy.  We pursue this mission through research, education, and hosting public policy programs that bring together academics, thought leaders, and government officials to discuss cutting edge issues involving the digital economy.  For more information regarding this program or other initiatives of the PEP, please visit pep.gmu.edu.