Abstract: Ownership of the right to revenge is the most important constraint faced by people when society is to choose the form of liability for harm. The evolution of liabilities accompanies the confirmation of the right to revenge, which facilitates the exchange between perpetrators and victims. The shift from private relief to public relief reflects a transformation to different arrangements in contract for exchange and to different efficiency. Therefore, from the perspective of economic analysis, liabilities are mechanisms adopted to effectuate the exchange between harm and punishment, which takes the right to revenge as the subject matter; the evolution of liabilities in essence equals the development of exchange of the right to revenge.

Key words: liability for damage, right to revenge, exchange, contract, efficiency