Law and Reputation

'Roy Shapira's superb book presents an extremely illuminating analysis of how the legal system affects reputational sanctions and rewards, and vice-versa, and it makes many sensible recommendations for improving the relationship.' Robert Charles Clark, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor and former Dean, Harvard Law School 'How does the law deter wrongdoing? Partly via formal sanctions, such as fines. But also by threatening wrongdoers with exposure and embarrassment, even when formal sanctions are not applied. Roy Shapira's groundbreaking book on the relationship between law and reputation is a must-read for those curious about how the legal system actually shapes behavior.' Jesse M. Fried, co-author of Pay without Performance: The Unfulfilled Promise of Executive Compensation 'Roy Shapira shows how reputation and lawmaking can and should interact. The two are not just substitutes: it's not just that we want good law to handle what reputation cannot. Rather, properly done legal structures can use reputational sanctions when they are more effective and more accurate than what an administered legal system can do. Moreover, reputation and legal enforcement have costs; each has weak spots where it will be ineffective; each has strengths. The astute policymaker must keep the comparative costs, weaknesses, and strengths in mind when designing a legal system to confine wrong-doing. Shapira's book provides an insightful guide for how to do this.' Mark J. Roe, author of Political Determinants of Corporate Governance and Strong Managers, Weak Owners: The Political Roots of American Corporate Finance 'Shapira elegantly bridges the divide between academia and practice. This book powerfully speaks to the way in which law and reputation interact and shape each other, and brilliantly captures the important notion of reputation as a driver rather than just an outcome of litigation.' Rupert Younger, Director, Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation