The aim of the book is to highlight the law and economics issues confronting civil law countries. The following questions are addressed in this volume: to what extent have the existing codes in civil law countries been designed to incorporate economic considerations? Can the modifications made to codified rules over time be explained by a will to react to new economic constraints? Which economic problems are at the root of the revision of codes? And, given that the code is not the only source of law in civil law countries, the volume also explores the relationship between law and economics in the context of both the legislature and the courts.

This volume argues for a legal scholarship that maintains its identity vis-a-vis neighboring disciplines without collapsing into doctrinairism."

This book brings together two scholarly traditions: experts in Roman, Jewish and Islamic law, an area where scholars tend to be familiar with work in each area, and experts in the legal traditions of South and East Asia, which have tended to be less interdisciplinary. The resulting mix produces new ways of looking at comparative law and legal history from a global perspective, and these essays contribute both to our understanding of comparative religion as well as comparative law.

This book explores the democratic underpinning of electoral systems and their evolution, as well as the methodological choices that constitutional judges are confronted with when managing electoral legislation. It presents a review of the case law in 13 legal systems, across North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, identifying the underlying concept of democracy which courts seek to advance. The authors critically discuss the ideas of democracy that can be detected in each jurisdiction, their drivers, including the use of constitutional borrowing, and the effects of the judgments on the relationship between courts, representative institutions, and voters. The book looks in detail at judicial scrutiny and asks: - On what premises is judicial scrutiny grounded? - Why is there an increasing global trend towards judicial scrutiny? - What are the consequences for representative democracy? Until now, scholars have focused their attention on a few countries and on selected judgments, such as the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Citizens United v FEC. This book offers a comparative reading of the issue by analysing how the circulation of models and arguments between judges has triggered the progressive overcoming of a traditionally deferent approach towards electoral norms, which still survives in a few jurisdictions.

Family justice requires not only a legal framework within which personal obligations are regulated over the life course, but also a justice system which can deliver legal information, advice and support at times of change of status or family stress, together with mechanisms for negotiation, dispute management and resolution, with adjudication as the last resort. The past few years have seen unparalleled turbulence in the way family justice systems function. These changes are associated with economic constraints in many countries, including England and Wales, where legal aid for private family matters has largely disappeared. But there is also a change in ideology in a number of jurisdictions, including Canada, towards what is sometimes called neo-liberalism, whereby the state seeks to reduce its area of activity while at the same time maintaining strong views on family values. Legal services may become fragmented and marketised, and the role of law and lawyers reduced, while self-help web based services expand. The contributors to this volume share their anxieties about the impact on the ability of individuals to achieve fair and informed resolution in family matters.

In referendums on fundamental constitutional issues, do the people come together to make decisions instead of representatives? This book argues no. It offers an alternative theory of referendums whereby they are one of many ordinary ways that voters give direction to their representatives. In this way, the book argues that referendums are better understood as exercises in representative democracy. The book challenges the current treatment of referendums in processes of constitutional change both in the United Kingdom and around the world. It argues that referendums have been increasingly used under the banner of popular sovereignty, in a way that undermines representative institutions. This book makes the case for the use of referendums stronger by showing how they can support, rather than undermine, institutions of representative democracy. The author argues that democratic constitutions are not contracts and that the use of referendums on fundamental constitutional questions may be justified for a wide range of reasons. Rather than see the power to constitute constitutions as something that happens occasionally in constitutional moments through referendums, this book argues instead that voters constantly have the power to constitute and reconstitute their constitutions.

This contribution to comparative family law brings together essays on a range of issues in family law in the United States and England, showing how they stand at the beginning of the 21st century. This provides an opportunity to examine how family law has reacted to a period of change in family life widely held to be without precedent. The legal analyses are set within critical accounts of wider social and family policy and against a fully explored demographic background provided by leading scholars in these areas.

The topic chosen for this special volume of the Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business is unfair trading practices, the use of such practices being a breach of the law against unfair competition. The principle of freedom of competition is vital to any market. Without it, there exists no protection against large companies obtaining monopolies and then ruthlessly exercising their market dominance. The ability of other companies to freely compete with such entities is, therefore, necessary to protect consumers from, for example, highly inflated prices. On the other hand, the right to compete must also be tempered in order to avoid its abuse by traders using unscrupulous methods to sell their products or services. The use of such methods may, again, impede the businesses of others and breach the principle of free competition. This subject is particularly relevant in today's society where new technology such as the Internet provides more and more scope for competition. When faced with unfair trading practices, the most immediate course of action must be to put a stop to such behaviour as soon as possible. If this is not done, a company may find itself suffering heavy losses and may even lose its business altogether. A temporary injunction is, therefore, a very important shield against the attack of a competitor. Once this is in place, a company may initiate proceedings in order to finalize the order and obtain damage for any losses suffered. This book gives a country-by-country account of the provisions and procedures laid down in various jurisdictions worldwide, each being provided by a practitioner in the area of competition law. It will therefore be a useful tool for anyone having to deal with unfair acts in the course of trading.

'As business spreads across the world, but jurisdictions remain essentially national, means must be found whereby business may effectively regulate itself and be regulated for public benefit. This important book addresses these issues, at theoretical and practical levels, explaining important sectoral examples and with deeper analysis. It is both timely and important, and provokes ideas for actions that should be taken at both transnational and national levels. The range of issues covered is rich and impressive.' - Christopher Hodges, Oxford University, UK and Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 'Globalization pushes the boundaries of markets. Alongside the greater ''goods'' of transnational economic activity come the ''bads'' of unregulated conduct. This important book looks to the new frontiers of legal intervention to make sure that global markets do not run riot over important public values. The signal contribution is not the search for ever higher levels of transnational authority - the superstates of a brave new world - but empowering numerous private actors to enforce legal norms in our fast-changing economic environment.' - Samuel Issacharoff, New York University, School of Law, US This book addresses the different mechanisms of enforcement deployed in transnational private regimes vis-a-vis those in the field of public transnational law. Enforcement represents a key dimension in measuring the effectiveness and legitimacy of transnational private regulation. This detailed book shifts the focus from rule-making to enforcement and compliance, and moves from a vertical analysis to a comparative sectoral analysis. Both public and private transnational regulation fall under the scrutiny of the authors, and the book considers the effectiveness of judicial models of enforcement - under international law and through national courts - and of non-judicial means. Comparisons are drawn across sectors including international commercial law, labor law, finance, Internet regulation and advertising. Enforcement of Transnational Regulation will appeal to scholars of both private and public law, regulation and comparative law. It will also prove a stimulating and challenging read for policy makers and law makers. Contributors: E. Benvenisti, F. Cafaggi, F. Casarosa, S. Cassese, E. D'Alterio, K.E. Davis, M. De Bellis, G.W. Downs, C. Estlund, F. Francioni, G.P. Miller, E.-U. Petersmann, C. Scott, R. Stewart, P. Verbruggen

Europe has finally started to debate migration. A timely debate indeed, as many migrants have over the last 30 years entered the European Union without the cover of a proper and well-defined policy. The Migration Acquis Handbook (a companion to The Asylum Acquis Handbook) describes and provides the foundation for a common European Migration Policy. It provides an overview of EU instruments in an accessible and transparent manner, pays due attention to EC Commissioner Vitorino's communication on migration and his call for a debate; reproduces relevant non-European international (UN) instruments; moreover includes an overview of the context and contents of the most hotly-contested issues: ageing and demography, globalization, illegal migration, trafficking and family reunification. This handbook should be considered an extremely useful tool, if not indispensable, for the executive, students, policy makers, the media and all others interested in this exceedingly important topic. Dr Van Krieken is actively involved in European migration, refugee and asylum policy issues under CIREA, Phare assessment missions and related Twinning, Odysseus and Horizontal Programmes

Public health, safety and access to reasonably priced medicine are common policy goals of pharmaceutical regulations. As both the context for innovation and competitive structure change, industry actors dynamically challenge the balance between the incentive for protection and the achievement of those policy goals. Considering the arguments from the perspectives of innovation, competition law and patent law, this book explores the difficult question of balancing protection with access, highlighting the difficulties in harmonization and coordination. The contributors to this book, including academics, judges and practitioners from Europe, the US and Japan, explore to what extent patent strategies and life-cycle management practices take advantage of patent laws and health-care regulation and disrupt the necessary balance between incentives for innovation and access to affordable medicine and health care. Addressing fundamental questions in the field of pharmaceutical innovation, this book will appeal to scholars and practitioners in intellectual property, competition law and life sciences regulation, as well as pharmaceutical companies and regulators. Contributors: R. Arnold, M.A. Bagley, B. Domeij, J. Drexl, R.C. Dreyfuss, C.R. Fackelmann, T. Imura, R. Iseki, N. Lee, R. Moufang, H. Ullrich

This book aims to honour the work of Professor Mirjan Dama ka, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School and a prominent authority for many years in the fields of comparative law, procedural law, evidence, international criminal law and Continental legal history. Professor Dama ka 's work is renowned for providing new frameworks for understanding different legal traditions. To celebrate the depth and richness of his work and discuss its implications for the future, the editors have brought together an impressive range of leading scholars from different jurisdictions in the fields of comparative and international law, evidence and criminal law and procedure. Using Professor Dama ka's work as a backdrop, the essays make a substantial contribution to the development of comparative law, procedure and evidence. After an introduction by the editors and a tribute by Harold Koh, Dean of Yale Law School, the book is divided into four parts. The first part considers contemporary trends in national criminal procedure, examining cross-fertilisation and the extent to which these trends are resulting in converging practices across national jurisdictions. The second part explores the epistemological environment of rules of evidence and procedure. The third part analyses human rights standards and the phenomenon of hybridisation in transnational and international criminal law. The final part of the book assesses Professor Dama ka 's contribution to comparative law and the challenges faced by comparative law in the twenty first century.

Public police forces are a regular phenomenon in most jurisdictions around the world, yet their highly divergent legal context draws surprisingly little attention. Bringing together a wide range of police experts from all around the world, this book provides an overview of traditional and emerging fields of public policing. In this handbook, academics and practitioners explore the relationship between policing and the law and focus on case material and human rights issues. The book concludes that public policing is far from self-evident, particularly in an era where more emphasis is placed upon private security, anti-terrorism and modern technology. As digital and global societies demand new solutions to rapidly changing social challenges, public police will undergo a transformation. New material and findings are presented with an international-comparative perspective. It is a must-read for students of policing, security and law and professionals in related fields. Contributors include: F. Allum, P. de Hert, W. de Lint, M. den Boer, M. Egan, E. Ferreira, N.R. Fyfe, S. Gilmour, S. Gomes, C. Harfield, M. Hassan, M. Head, V. Herrington, S. Hufnagel, A. James, T. Mankkinen, P.K. Manning, R. Mawby, T. Munk, M. O'Neill, S. Perez, A. Pocrnic, J. Saifert, J.A. Schafer, C. Shearing, P. Stenning, M. van der Woude, S. Virta, T. Xu, N. Yang

This comprehensive publication analyzes numerous aspects of the relationship between judicature and the fair trial principle in a comparative perspective. In addition, it examines the manifestation of some of the most significant elements inherent to the fair trial concept in different legal systems. Along with expansion of judicial power during the past century and with the strengthening of judicial independence, the fair trial requirement has appeared more often, especially in different international agreements and national constitutions, as the summarizing principle of what were formerly constitutional principles pertaining to judicature. Despite its generality and supranational application, the methods of interpreting this clause vary significantly among particular legal systems. This book assumes that the substantive content of this term conveys relevance to the organizational independence of judicial power, the selection of judges, and the mutual relationship between the branches of power. The comparative studies included in this collection offer readers a widespread understanding of the aforementioned correlations and will ultimately contribute to their mastery of the concept of fair trial.

How do ordinary people access justice? This book offers a novel socio-legal approach to access to justice, alternative dispute resolution, vulnerability and energy poverty. It poses an access to justice challenge and rethinks it through a lens that accommodates all affected people, especially those who are currently falling through the system. It raises broader questions about alternative dispute resolution, the need for reform to include more collective approaches, a stronger recognition of the needs of vulnerable people, and a stronger emphasis on delivering social justice. The authors use energy poverty as a site of vulnerability and examine the barriers to justice facing this excluded group. The book assembles the findings of an interdisciplinary research project studying access to justice and its barriers in the UK, Italy, France, Bulgaria and Spain (Catalonia). In-depth interviews with regulators, ombuds, energy companies, third-sector organisations and vulnerable people provide a rich dataset through which to understand the phenomenon. The book provides theoretical and empirical insights which shed new light on these issues and sets out new directions of inquiry for research, policy and practice. It will be of interest to researchers, students and policymakers working on access to justice, consumer vulnerability, energy poverty, and the complex intersection between these fields. The book includes contributions by Cosmo Graham (UK), Sarah Supino and Benedetta Voltaggio (Italy), Marine Cornelis (France), Anais Varo and Enric Bartlett (Catalonia) and Teodora Peneva (Bulgaria).

This book discusses the possibilities for the use of international human rights law (and specifically, international biomedical laws related to the protection of human rights and the human genome) to provide a guiding framework for the future regulation of genetic modifications applied to human embryos and other precursor materials, when these are made with the aim of implanting a genetically altered embryo in a woman. The significance and timeliness of the work derives from the recent availability of CRISPR/ Cas9 and other gene editing tools, and from lacunae in international law regarding the legality of embryo modification with these tools and appropriate governance structures for the oversight of resulting practices. The emergence of improved genome editing tools like CRISPR/Cas9, holds the promise of eradicating genetic diseases in the near future. But its possible future applications with Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) raises a plethora of legal and ethical concerns about "remaking" future human beings. The work aims to address an urgent call, to embed these rising concerns about biomedical advancements into the fundamental tailoring of legal systems. Suitable regulatory approaches, coupled with careful reflection of global biomedical laws and individual constitutional systems must be explored. The Book analyzes the impact of reproductive biomedical technologies on the legal and ethical dimensions of regulatory frameworks in selected constitutional systems like the US, the UK, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand. Employing a comparative law methodology, the work reveals a dynamic intersection between legal cultures, socio-philosophical reasoning and the development of a human rights-based framework in bio-political studies. Navigating towards a truly internationalized biomedical approach to emerging technologies, it presents an understanding why a renegotiation and reinvigoration of a contemporary and "new" universal shared values system in the international human rights discourse is now necessary.

The foundations of tort law in various European legal systems vary considerably. Until now, there has not been an attempt to harmonize the entire field of tort law in a consistent manner. To rectify this, a group of tort lawyers has proposed to address the fundamental questions underlying every tort law system. The result is this important book, which searches for a common law of Europe without the necessity yet to lay these principles down in formal legal texts, such as a European civil code. Identifying the most relevant factors in establishing liability as wrongfulness, causation, damage, fault, and the area of strict liability, the authors concentrate on the topic of 'wrongfulness', trying to combine theoretical abstract analysis with the discussion of concrete cases. Each author gives an overview of wrongfulness under his or her national legal system, primarily by working out the concept and its importance in establishing liability - and then applies the analysis to actual cases. The subsequent conclusions aim at the coordination of the results and other important factors. In addition, some members of the group work out the nature of protected interests and important reasons for the extent of protection, and discuss the overlap of contractual and tortious liability. In summary, the book not only explores the common ground underlying all the legal systems concerned with respect to the concept of wrongfulness, but also informs academics and practitioners of the fundamental questions of wrongfulness underlying the law of tort in various distinct jurisdictions.

In comparing existing research on Eastern and Central Europe, Central Asia and Latin America, it is clear that legal developments in East and South Asian societies are somewhat under-researched. This volume fills a gap in studies of the effects of globalisation and the role of law in processes of globalisation. What the book contributes to the debate is an "area study", that is interdisciplinary research pertaining to a particular geographical or cultural region. The region discussed here presents an ideal testing ground for legal pluralism, for economic, cultural, and political influences on the role of law in development. The 'developmental states' of Asia are regarded as refuting both Latin American dependency theory and classical modernisation theory. They seem to follow quite distinct political, economic and legal developments. However, especially after the Asian Crisis, their approaches have come under intense pressure. The book examines the resulting reform efforts and the tensions they generate in areas such as constitutional and administrative law, commercial law and human rights.

Offering a concise and critical comparison of EU competition law and US antitrust law from an economic perspective, this is the ideal textbook for international and interdisciplinary courses combining law and economic approaches. The book provides thorough coverage including the definition of market power, the use of horizontal and vertical restrictions, mergers and the unilateral conduct of dominant firms. It also includes discussion of problems relating to the enforcement of legal prohibitions, which will be of particular interest to practitioners and regulators. With analysis of leading cases of EU competition law, US antitrust law and insightful case studies of competition laws in BRIC countries, this book succinctly highlights the key information and goes further to discuss the many issues relating to the use of economic analysis. Key Features: uses economic insights to help students understand the context in which the rules of competition law are applied systematically compares EU competition law and US antitrust law, with discussion of leading cases, in order to understand how the underlying principles work in practice clear presentation, including boxes highlighting key case studies, ensures information on the competition laws of various BRIC countries is easily accessible the comparative approach and use of international case studies make this an ideal textbook for students in any jurisdiction.

According to some sources there are around 5,000 national minority groups living in the contemporary world, and about 3,000 linguistic groups. However, this is probably a discretionary assessment as it seems that there are no exact figures with respect to the number and size of minority groups. The existing estimates are usually based on different and sometimes not very clear criteria and mostly take into account those groups and numbers which are the result of the individual choice of a person and are not based exclusively on the objective differences. Notwithstanding this, a brief calculation would indicate that in Western Europe 14. 7% of the total population belongs to minority groups, and the same percentage exists in the Central and Eastern European region - 14. 7%, whereas in the countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States this percentage is slightly higher - at 18. 9%. Throughout the history of the European continent minorities have had a significant impact on political stability and security. Currently, most of the situations of internal tension as well as conflicts, whether internal or international, involve inter-ethnic relations. Thus the international community at large and - for the European minorities more importantly - the European institutions have placed minority issues high on their 'agenda.

This volume explores the sameness and difference between the United States and France in the matters of freedom of expression on the Internet. The United States and France are liberal democracies that are part of the Western family of nations. However, despite their many similarities, they have a number of cultural and ideological differences. The United States is generally France's ally in time of war and its cultural nemesis in time of peace. One of the reasons for this unusual relationship is that the United States and France are self-described "exceptional" countries. The United States and France are therefore two Western countries separated by different exceptionalist logics. Lyombe Eko uses this concept of exceptionalism as a theoretical framework for the analysis of American and French resolution of problems of human rights and freedom of expression in the traditional media and on the Internet. This book therefore analyzes how each county applies rules and regulations designed to manage a number of issues of media communication in real space, to the realities and specificities of cyberspace, within the framework of their respective exceptionalist logics. The fundamental question addressed concerns what happens when rules and regulations designed to regulate the media in clearly defined, national and regional geographic spaces, are suddenly confronted with the new realities and multi-communication platforms of the interconnected virtual sphere of cyberspace.

The increasing transnationalisation of regulation - and social life more generally - challenges the basic concepts of legal and political theory today. One of the key concepts being so challenged is authority. This discerning book offers a plenitude of resources and suggestions for meeting that challenge. Chapters by leading scholars from a wide variety of disciplines confront the limits of traditional state-based conceptions of authority, and propose new frameworks and metaphors. They also reflect on the methodological challenges of the transnational context, including the need for collaboration between empirical and conceptual analysis, and the value of historicising authority. Examining the challenge offered by transnational authority in a range of specific contexts, including security, accounting, banking and finance, and trade, Authority in Transnational Legal Theory analyzes the relations between authority, legitimacy and power. Furthermore, this book also considers the implications of thinking about authority for other key concepts in transnational legal theory, such as jurisdiction and sovereignty. Comprehensive and engaging, this book will appeal to both legal academics and students of law. It will also prove invaluable to political scientists and political theorists interested in the concept of authority as well as social scientists working in the field of regulation. Contributors include: P.S. Berman, R. Cotterrell, K. Culver, M. Del Mar, M. Giudice, N. Jansen, N. Krisch, S.F. Moore, H. Muir Watt, H. Psarras, S. Quack, N. Roughan, M. Troper, N. Walker

Principles of French Constitutional Law offers a concise and accessible account of the key principles and rules of constitutional law in the French legal system. With its particular historical background since the chaotic post-revolutionary period and current specific mechanisms, French constitutional law offers a fascinating object of study for anyone interested in public law and the broader area of comparative constitutional studies. This textbook will equip students with an understanding of the current Fifth Republic and how constitutional rules are adopted and applied, and affect other areas of law and politics. It offers a critical account of the 1958 Constitution's past, present and future by placing it in its political and socio-historical contexts and critically assessing contemporary developments and constitutional reforms. Given the growing expansion of this branch of law in the French legal system (in particular the case law on the priority preliminary rulings on the issue of constitutionality) and the growing relevance of comparative legal studies, the book will make a significant contribution to the knowledge exchange in teaching and learning. Principles of French Constitutional Law will be structured around the following main themes: (i) The bases of French constitutional law with theoretical developments about key notions of constitutional law such as the state, the constitution, as well as historical background of French constitutional law (ii) The Fifth Republic of France with coverage of the main powers, namely executive, legislative and judiciary with particular emphasis on constitutional review and justice and (iii) A practical part on legal education dealing with the emergence of French constitutional law as an academic subject of research and teaching, as well as with the method of teaching as illustrated by typical legal exercises.