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whynotmaybetoday at 4:35 PM4 repliesview on HN

Is there a place where self-regulation ever works?


Replies

zach_millertoday at 4:42 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Dues

I think this is a fun historical example. Ships passing through Denmark needed to pay a tax of 1-2% of the value of their cargo. They self-assessed that value.

The twist that makes it interesting was that the King could choose to purchase any cargo immediately at the reported value. If a ship underreported, they might save on tax, but they risked taking a hefty loss.

I have no idea how effective this was, but it's compelling. I wonder whether great self-regulation might need clever design like that example.

show 7 replies
Bratmontoday at 4:57 PM

The best I've seen is ESRB ratings on video games.

josefritzisheretoday at 7:47 PM

Very few. But it's the core of our current economic system... which explains a lot of the problems.