LAW548

040700

The law affects every aspect of human behavior, both in the private and public sphere. For this reason, the study of law is by its nature interdisciplinary: the understanding of legal problems almost always requires to cross boundaries and think across a vast range of social science fields and, most prominently, economics. Whether the subject is a country's social and political structure, contracts or torts, the functioning of free markets or corporations, the combined knowledge of law and economics is vital for a full assessment of the underlying problems. It is thus unsurprising that the application of the economic method to the study of law and the legal process has increasingly grown into an established interdisciplinary field. Nowadays, economic theory is used in almost all areas of law to assess legal issues from a normative perspective. At the same time, there is a growing recourse to empirical economics as a method to evaluate the positive impact of existing legal rules.

The aim of this course is threefold. First, it aims at providing students with the methodology and tools \"both theoretical and empirical\" of law and economics to better understand legal institutions. This methodological part will empower students with the ability to develop a functional analysis of institutions aimed at addressing relevant policy issues. Second, the course will expose the students to concrete applications of the law and economics method across several private law fields, including property, torts and contracts. Third, the course will pay special attention to the law and economics of corporate law, focusing, in particular, on issues such as shareholder and stakeholder conflicts, executive compensation and corporate social responsibility.

GRD - Regular Plus/Minus Grades A, B, C, D, E

Law

LAW448