Toward an Inclusive Society: An Economic Analysis of Legal Frameworks for Consumer Protection

2024 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K01541
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 07050:Public economics and labor economics-related
• Research Institution: Kochi University
• Principal Investigator: Arai Yasuhiro 高知大学, 教育研究部人文社会科学系人文社会科学部門, 准教授 (20611213)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 河村 耕平 早稲田大学, 政治経済学術院, 教授 (30787817)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2025-03-31
• Keywords: キャンセル料 / 消費者保護

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to tackle the issue of consumers with limited decision-making capacity facing disadvantages when canceling transactions after the fact. It analyzes the effectiveness of cancellation fee policies from the perspectives of law and economics. A mathematical model is developed that considers information asymmetry and the varying abilities of consumers to gather information. The analysis focuses on three main points: (i) the conditions under which firms opt to sell low-quality goods, leading to a decrease in consumer surplus and social welfare; (ii) the situations in which low-quality goods are specifically targeted at consumers with limited decision-making capacity; and (iii) how policy measures, such as capping cancellation fees or adjusting the allocation of cancellation-related costs, can help mitigate these socially inefficient transactions.

Free Research Field

法と経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、これまで体系的な分析が十分でなかったキャンセル料の問題、特に判断力が不十分な消費者が直面する課題に対し、法と経済学・行動経済学のモデルを用いてアプローチした点に新規性があることである。
さらに社会的意義として、キャンセル料の上限規制や、事業者側への負担の増大は市場からの退出を招くのではないかとの懸念に対し、本研究はむしろ「非効率な企業の退出あるいは効率的な財への転化を促す」可能性を理論的に示した。この知見は、消費者庁も注視する政策課題の設計に、重要な視点を提供する点で意義が大きい。