Dangerous incentives : examining the need for an ethical standard for forensic economists

Includes bibliographical references.Since the 1970's, the field of forensic economics has grown considerably into a major sub-field within the greater discipline of economics. However, the growing demand for forensic economists, coupled with the rapid growth of financial compensation for forensic economists, has fueled concerns about the effect this expansion is having on the overall tone of economic debate, the individual behavior of forensic economists, and the ethical credibility of economics as a whole. Through the use of an illustrative case study, this paper synthesizes the current discussion regarding the lack of ethical standards in forensic economics while evaluating various proposals that have been put forth to restore confidence and credibility within forensic economics. The case study demonstrates that serious shortfalls still exist in regards to comprehensive ethical standards to guide forensic economists and ultimately highlights the need for continued research into the issue to find a suitable standard.B.S. (Bachelor of Science