Litigation Economics

The efficacy of various political institutions is the subject of intense debate between proponents of broad legislative standards enforced through litigation and those who prefer regulation by administrative agencies. This book explores the trade-offs between litigation and regulation, the circumstances in which one approach may outperform the other, and the principles that affect the choice between addressing particular economic activities with one system or the other. Combining theoretical analysis with empirical investigation in a range of industries, including public health, financial markets, medical care, and workplace safety, Regulation versus Litigation sheds light on the costs and benefits of two important instruments of economic policy.

Dissatisfaction with the working of courts is ubiquitous. Legal inertia and maladministration are the norm in many countries and have significant social and economic repercussions. No longer a theme relegated to the peripheries of economic analysis, the administration of justice is now recognised by most economists as being of fundamental importance for economic development, a factor increasingly being acknowledged by policymakers at all levels. The departure point for this book is the authors belief in the need for a systematic analysis of the incentive structures facing key players in the courts and litigation process. They focus not only on structures pertaining to the common law tradition, but offer analysis of issues not normally found in the North-American literature, such as the Latin notary and the selection and values of judges in civil law systems. They further propose an ample list of considerations for a reform agenda. Offering a comprehensive look at the incentives facing many key players in the administration of justice, this book should be of great interest to law and economics scholars, civil law professors, legal reformers, international development institutions and law students mindful of the need to improve the functioning of courts.

This volume discusses such topics in the field of litigation economics as forensic economics, estimating damages in personal injury and wrongful death cases, forecasting medical costs in tort cases and economic analysis of business interruption losses

The field of law and economics has matured to a point where scholars employ economic methods to understand the nature of legal rules and guide legal reform. This text is a broad survey of that scholarship as it has been applied to problems in tort, contracts, property and litigation.

What effects do laws have? Do individuals drive more cautiously, clear ice from sidewalks more diligently, and commit fewer crimes because of the threat of legal sanctions? Do corporations pollute less, market safer products, and obey contracts to avoid suit? And given the effects of laws, which are socially best? Such questions about the influence and desirability of laws have been investigated by legal scholars and economists in a new, rigorous, and systematic manner since the 1970s. Their approach, which is called economic, is widely considered to be intellectually compelling and to have revolutionized thinking about the law. In this book Steven Shavell provides an in-depth analysis and synthesis of the economic approach to the building blocks of our legal system, namely, property law, tort law, contract law, and criminal law. He also examines the litigation process as well as welfare economics and morality. Aimed at a broad audience, this book requires neither a legal background nor technical economics or mathematics to understand it. Because of its breadth, analytical clarity, and general accessibility, it is likely to serve as a definitive work in the economic analysis of law.

This edited collection addresses the major issues encountered in the calculation of economic damages to individuals in civil litigation. In federal and state courts in the United States, as well as in other nations, when one party sues another, the suing party is required not only to prove that the harm was, indeed, caused by the other party, but also to claim and demonstrate that a specified dollar value represents just compensation for the harm. Forensic economists are often called upon to evaluate, measure, and opine on the degree of economic loss that is alleged to have occurred. Aimed at both practitioners and theorists, the original articles and essays in the edited collection are written by nationally recognized and widely published forensic experts. Its strength is in showcasing theories, methods, and measurements as they differ in a variety of cases, and in its review of the forensic economics literature developed over the past thirty years. Readers will find informative discussions of topics such as establishing earnings capacity for both adults and infants, worklife probability, personal consumption deductions, taxation as treated in federal and state courts, valuing fringe benefits, discounting theory and practice, the effects of the Affordable Care Act, the valuation of personal services, wrongful discharge, hedonics, effective communication by the expert witness, and ethical issues. The volume also covers surveys of the views of practicing forensic economists, the connection between law and forensic economics, alternatives to litigation in the form of VCF-like schedules, and key differences among nations in measuring economic damages.

This Palgrave Pivot is the first book in the field of Law & Economics looking at the relationship between economics and law in legal reasoning. The book constitutes a reference point for the economic analysis of legal institutions, as legal reasoning remains the dimension of legal systems least explored by economists. Despite their differences, economics and legal reasoning interact in many interesting ways. This book offers a fast track to these interactions. Both supporters and critics of Law & Economics will be exposed to a yet-to-be developed area of interaction between the disciplines. This book will be of interest to economists, legal scholars, and Law and Economics specialists, and can be used as teaching material in courses on Law & Economics and legal reasoning as well.

'The Law and Economics of Class Actions in Europe marshals an impressive array of expertise from both sides of the Atlantic to illuminate the debate over class action litigation. This volume is a valuable addition to the literature on class actions in both the US and Europe.' – Jennifer Arlen, New York University, School of Law, US 'The availability and performance of class actions is a fundamental question being addressed in many legal systems. Class actions offer a rare opportunity for individuals with small losses to obtain redress against large companies and may provide important incentives to comply with the law. Effective class actions that provide these benefits exist in few countries. This book assembles leading scholars from around the world to provide important new insights into the theory and practice of this important legal procedure.' – Theodore Eisenberg, Cornell University, US This well-documented book discusses the power and limitations of class actions with insights and analysis from a panel of distinguished scholars. It pays special attention to the introduction and the applicability of such a legal device in European civil law countries. The book offers a broad legal and economic investigation, drawing insights from US judicial experience and giving a rigorous discussion of both the philosophical and constitutional aspects and the economic mechanisms and incentives set up by class actions. The Law and Economics of Class Actions in Europe will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of all those interested in the function of class action litigation for promoting justice and efficiency. In particular, it will benefit graduate and postgraduate students, researchers and academics in law, economics, and law and economics, policymakers, judges and attorneys.