World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
A. Mitchell Polinsky

A. Mitchell Polinsky

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Law
USA
2023

D-Index & Metrics

Economics and Finance

D-Index
44
Citations
10565
World Ranking
1835
National Ranking
1083

Law

D-Index
42
Citations
10287
World Ranking
89
National Ranking
71

A. Mitchell Polinsky publication distribution in Law in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Law in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where A. Mitchell Polinsky sits on this spectrum.

37–41 publications: 3 scientists 42–46 publications: 1 scientists 47–51 publications: 0 scientists 52–56 publications: 3 scientists 57–61 publications: 2 scientists 62–66 publications: 1 scientists 67–71 publications: 6 scientists 72–76 publications: 6 scientists 77–81 publications: 10 scientists 82–86 publications: 7 scientists 87–91 publications: 10 scientists 92–96 publications: 18 scientists 97–101 publications: 15 scientists 102–106 publications: 14 scientists 107–111 publications: 12 scientists 112–116 publications: 12 scientists 117–121 publications: 14 scientists 122–126 publications: 10 scientists 127–131 publications: 9 scientists 132–136 publications: 14 scientists 137–141 publications: 12 scientists 142–146 publications: 14 scientists 147–151 publications: 8 scientists 152–156 publications: 14 scientists 157–161 publications: 5 scientists 162–166 publications: 9 scientists 167–171 publications: 15 scientists 172–176 publications: 6 scientists 177–181 publications: 9 scientists 182–186 publications: 8 scientists 187–191 publications: 16 scientists 192–196 publications: 7 scientists 197–201 publications: 6 scientists 202–206 publications: 7 scientists 207–211 publications: 11 scientists 212–216 publications: 0 scientists 217–221 publications: 5 scientists 222–226 publications: 6 scientists 227–231 publications: 10 scientists 232–236 publications: 8 scientists 237–241 publications: 5 scientists 242–246 publications: 4 scientists 247–251 publications: 2 scientists 252–256 publications: 7 scientists 257–261 publications: 5 scientists 262+ publications: 100 scientists
37 publications 262+

This scientist: 97 publications — 15th percentile

15% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 262 publications or more.

A. Mitchell Polinsky D-index placement in Law in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Law scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where A. Mitchell Polinsky sits on this spectrum.

20 D-Index: 16 scientists 21 D-Index: 23 scientists 22 D-Index: 11 scientists 23 D-Index: 20 scientists 24 D-Index: 17 scientists 25 D-Index: 23 scientists 26 D-Index: 19 scientists 27 D-Index: 19 scientists 28 D-Index: 22 scientists 29 D-Index: 14 scientists 30 D-Index: 25 scientists 31 D-Index: 25 scientists 32 D-Index: 20 scientists 33 D-Index: 24 scientists 34 D-Index: 23 scientists 35 D-Index: 12 scientists 36 D-Index: 11 scientists 37 D-Index: 15 scientists 38 D-Index: 14 scientists 39 D-Index: 4 scientists 40 D-Index: 8 scientists 41 D-Index: 9 scientists 42+ D-Index: 92 scientists
20 D-Index 42+

This scientist: 42 D-Index — 81st percentile

81% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 42 D-Index or more.

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2023 - Research.com Law in United States Leader Award
  • 1993 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Overview

What is he best known for?

The fields of study he is best known for:

  • Law
  • Microeconomics
  • Finance

His main research concerns Enforcement, Sanctions, Law, Liability and Law and economics. The Enforcement study which covers Deterrence theory that intersects with Corruption. As part of one scientific family, A. Mitchell Polinsky deals mainly with the area of Sanctions, narrowing it down to issues related to the Imprisonment, and often Demographic economics and Risk aversion.

His Law study frequently links to other fields, such as Actuarial science. His work on Harm expands to the thematically related Liability. A. Mitchell Polinsky has included themes like Private law, Incentive, Payment, Philosophy and economics and Neoclassical economics in his Law and economics study.

His most cited work include:

  • THE ECONOMIC THEORY OF PUBLIC ENFORCEMENT OF LAW (815 citations)
  • The Optimal Tradeoff between the Probability and Magnitude of Fines (366 citations)
  • The optimal use of fines and imprisonment (218 citations)

What are the main themes of his work throughout his whole career to date?

His primary scientific interests are in Liability, Actuarial science, Enforcement, Sanctions and Law and economics. In general Liability, his work in Strict liability is often linked to Imperfect linking many areas of study. His studies deal with areas such as Risk neutral, Plaintiff and Damages as well as Actuarial science.

His study looks at the intersection of Enforcement and topics like Deterrence theory with Corruption. Prison, Deterrence and Labour economics is closely connected to Imprisonment in his research, which is encompassed under the umbrella topic of Sanctions. In the subject of general Law, his work in Settlement and State is often linked to Variety, thereby combining diverse domains of study.

He most often published in these fields:

  • Liability (44.98%)
  • Actuarial science (43.54%)
  • Enforcement (37.80%)

What were the highlights of his more recent work (between 2003-2019)?

  • Actuarial science (43.54%)
  • Imprisonment (32.06%)
  • Sanctions (38.28%)

In recent papers he was focusing on the following fields of study:

Actuarial science, Imprisonment, Sanctions, Enforcement and Liability are his primary areas of study. His study in Actuarial science is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing from both Moral hazard and Harm. His research in Imprisonment intersects with topics in Prison and Deterrence theory.

His research brings together the fields of Order and Sanctions. A. Mitchell Polinsky integrates many fields in his works, including Enforcement, Private information retrieval and Audit. A. Mitchell Polinsky is studying Strict liability, which is a component of Liability.

Between 2003 and 2019, his most popular works were:

  • Handbook of law and economics (142 citations)
  • The Theory of Public Enforcement of Law (123 citations)
  • The Uneasy Case for Product Liability (69 citations)

In his most recent research, the most cited papers focused on:

  • Law
  • Microeconomics
  • Finance

A. Mitchell Polinsky mostly deals with Enforcement, Liability, Sanctions, Strict liability and Imprisonment. Enforcement is a subfield of Law that he studies. As part of his studies on Liability, A. Mitchell Polinsky often connects relevant areas like Actuarial science.

The Actuarial science study combines topics in areas such as Product liability, Harm and Product. His Sanctions study combines topics from a wide range of disciplines, such as Private law and Public law. His work in Imprisonment addresses issues such as Deterrence theory, which are connected to fields such as Corruption, Mistake and Settlement.

Best Publications

  • THE ECONOMIC THEORY OF PUBLIC ENFORCEMENT OF LAW

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • The Optimal Tradeoff between the Probability and Magnitude of Fines

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • The optimal use of fines and imprisonment

    A.Mitchell Polinsky;A.Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell;Steven Shavell

  • Corruption and optimal law enforcement

    A.Mitchell Polinsky;A.Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell;Steven Shavell

  • Punitive Damages: An Economic Analysis

    Mitchell A. Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • Handbook of law and economics

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • Amenities and property values in a model of an urban area

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • Enforcement Costs and the Optimal Magnitude and Probability of Fines

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven M. Shavell

  • An introduction to law and economics

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • The Theory of Public Enforcement of Law

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • The Demand for Housing: A Study in Specification and Grouping

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • Private versus Public Enforcement of Fines

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • Should employees be subject to fines and imprisonment given the existence of corporate liability

    A.Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • Decoupling liability: optimal incentives for care and litigation

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Yeon-Koo Che

  • An Empirical Reconciliation of Micro and Grouped Estimates of the Demand for Housing

    Unknown

  • A Note on Optimal Fines When Wealth Varies Among Individuals

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • A Model of Optimal Fines for Repeat Offenders

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Daniel L. Rubinfeld

  • Strict Liability versus Negligence in a Market Setting

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • Legal Error, Litigation, and the Incentive to Obey the Law

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • Products Liability, Consumer Misperceptions, and Market Power

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;William P. Rogerson

  • Chapter 6 The Theory of Public Enforcement of Law

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • The Uneasy Case for Product Liability

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • The deterrent effects of settlements and trials

    A.Mitchell Polinsky;Daniel L. Rubinfeld

  • The Welfare Implications of Costly Litigation for the Level of Liability

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Daniel L. Rubinfeld

  • On offense history and the theory of deterrence

    A.Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • The Fairness of Sanctions: Some Implications for Optimal Enforcement Policy

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • The Long-Run Effects of a Residential Property Tax and Local Public Services

    A.Mitchell Polinsky;Daniel L. Rubinfeld

  • Controlling Externalities and Protecting Entitlements: Property Right, Liability Rule, and Tax-Subsidy Approaches

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • Economic Analysis as a Potentially Defective Product: A Buyer's Guide to Posner's "Economic Analysis of Law"

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • Should Liability Be Based on the Harm to the Victim or the Gain to the Injurer

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • Probabilistic Compensation Criteria

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • Notes on the Symmetry of Taxes and Subsidies in Pollution Control

    A. Mitchell Polinsky

  • Contribution and Claim Reduction among Antitrust Defendants: An Economic Analysis

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Steven Shavell

  • Does The English Rule Discourage Low‐Probability‐Of‐Prevailing Plaintiffs?

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Daniel L. Rubinfeld

  • Sanctioning Frivolous Suits: An Economic Analysis

    A. Mitchell Polinsky;Daniel L. Rubinfeld

Frequent Co-Authors

Steven Shavell
Steven Shavell Harvard University
Daniel L. Rubinfeld
Daniel L. Rubinfeld University of California, Berkeley
Yeon-Koo Che
Yeon-Koo Che Columbia University
Steven N. Durlauf
Steven N. Durlauf University of Chicago
Lawrence E. Blume
Lawrence E. Blume Cornell University

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