Legal Traditions, Legal Reforms and Economic Performance

Legal Traditions, Legal Reforms and Economic Performance PDF

Author: Daniel Oto-Peralías

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-10-04

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 3319670417

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This book investigates whether legal reforms intended to create a market-friendly regulatory business environment have a positive impact on economic and financial outcomes. After conducting a critical review of the legal origins literature, the authors first analyze the evolution of legal rules and regulations during the last decade (2006-2014). For that purpose, the book uses legal/regulatory indicators from the World Bank's Doing Business Project (2015). The findings indicate that countries have actively reformed their legal systems during this period, particularly French civil law countries. A process of convergence in the evolution of legal rules and regulations is observed: countries starting in 2006 in a lower position have improved more than countries with better initial scores. Also, French civil law countries have reformed their legal systems to a larger extent than common law countries and, consequently, have improved more in the majority of the Doing Business indicators used. Second, the authors estimate fixed-effects panel regressions to analyze the relationship between changes in legal rules and regulations and changes in the real economy. The findings point to a lack of systematic effects of legal rules and regulations on economic and financial outcomes. This result stands in contrast to the widespread belief that reforms aiming to strengthen investor and creditor rights (and other market-friendly policies) systematically lead to better economic and financial outcomes.

Legal Reforms and Economic Performance

Legal Reforms and Economic Performance PDF

Author: Daniel Oto-Perallas

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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This paper investigates whether legal reforms intended to create a market-friendly regulatory business environment have a positive impact on economic and financial outcomes. After conducting a critical review of the legal origins literature, the authors first analyze the evolution of legal rules and regulations during the last decade (2006-2014). For that purpose, the authors use legal/regulatory indicators from the Doing Business Project (World Bank). The authors findings indicate that countries have actively reformed their legal systems during this period, particularly French civil law countries. A process of convergence in the evolution of legal rules and regulations is observed: countries starting in 2006 in a lower position have improved more than countries with better initial scores. Also, French civil law countries have reformed their legal systems to a larger extent than common law countries and, consequently, have improved more in the majority of the Doing Business indicators used. Second, the authors estimate fixed-effects panel regressions to analyze the relationship between changes in legal rules and regulations and changes in the real economy. The authors findings point to a lack of systematic effects of legal rules and regulations on economic and financial outcomes. This result stands in contrast to the widespread belief that reforms aiming to strengthen investor and creditor rights (and other market-friendly policies) systematically lead to better economic and financial outcomes. It seems that improvements in these legal rules are not sufficient conditions for that. Finally, the authors conduct an exploratory analysis of the determinants of the effectiveness of legal reforms and the gap between legal rules and the reality on the ground.

Law, Informal Rules and Economic Performance

Law, Informal Rules and Economic Performance PDF

Author: Svetozar Pejovich

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1848442904

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Almost everyone will gain something of value from reading this book. For those who work in the new institutional economics, Pejovich provides a thoughtful treatment of how common-law and civil-law systems affect personal freedoms and rule of law. The book s larger market, however, will comprise educated lay readers, who will gain a deeper appreciation of the foundations of capitalism in the developed world and of the dynamics of interrelated institutional and economic change. Lee J. Alston, The Independent Review . . . a well written, easily read book which casts light on many aspects of law and on questions which are or should be debated in our law schools. . . well laid out and presented. . . Its subject matter makes it essential reading for all those studying comparative law and of course law and economics and even for those studying legislation. It would be more than useful for those engaged in property law, the law of contract and administrative and public law. In other words it would be useful and challenging reading for just about all law teachers and students as well as practitioners who wish to think about the basics of what they are doing. Its easy combination of history, comparative technique, legal fundamentals and economics with no maths would even make it an excellent reader for LAWS 101. Bernard Robertson, New Zealand Law Journal Professor Pejovich has written an impressive lot on comparative economic systems, institutions, policies and broader social aspects of economic development. . . His long work in the field quite predictably made him able to present his views and findings in an ever clearer, more orderly and more profoundly argued way. . . This is one of the rare books in which the author is well aware of what he is talking about and makes sure that the same goes for his readers. Ljubomir Madzar Professor Pejovich has ranged expertly across such seemingly disparate areas as legal systems, culture, economics and public choice theory to give us a thoroughly convincing roadmap for a nation s economic success. The rule of law, enforcement of private contracts, private property rights and an independent judiciary are the basic building blocks. But the common law system, as compared to the civil law system emanating from the European continent, also gets a lot of the credit. This is an erudite, yet happily readable work that takes a lot of the mystery out of differential economic performance among nations. Henry G. Manne, George Mason University School of Law, US Written by one of the pioneers of modern property rights economics this book provides a most insightful, well readable and engaged discussion of the institutional foundations of the Western free enterprise system and the reason for its success, with a special emphasis on the differences between common law and civil law institutions. Readers will especially appreciate the many instructive examples and court cases that serve to illustrate the general argument. Viktor J. Vanberg, Universitaet Freiburg, Germany This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why Western capitalism has outperformed all other economic systems. Professor Pejovich explains how the institutions of capitalism, especially those based on common law, make for excellence, even in comparison with Western civil law countries. He presents a compelling theory of how systems evolve through the interactions of formal and informal institutions, an analysis that has deep significance for economic reform proposals throughout the world. John H. Moore, Grove City College, US There are many books on the virtues of capitalism and capitalism as a moral system. Steve Pejovich avoids that mistake. Capitalism, for him, is a system based on human behavior. It survives because it meets the needs that individuals face and provides opportunities that individuals are able to accept. Unlike the utopian visions that have competed against capitalism, it does not impose the vision of a

Legal Traditions and Economic Performances

Legal Traditions and Economic Performances PDF

Author: Carmine Guerriero

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13:

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The law and the economy are deeply influenced, in a great part of the world, by either the civil or the common law tradition. These two bundles of institutions emerged in Europe during the medieval period, were spread internationally through colonization and imitation, and operate in different ways. While common law recognizes a crucial role to precedents and is grounded on flexible adjudication procedures, civil law relies on legal codes and bright-line adjudication rules. Exploiting these differences and assuming that legal institutions remained unaffected after transplantation, the "legal origins" project has provided evidence suggesting that civil law countries display less secure investor rights, a stricter market regulation and more inefficient courts than common law countries do. This chapter discusses the main merits and failures of this literature. First, I summarize the theoretical works comparing the two traditions; then, I review the empirical studies looking at the relation among legal origins and economic outcomes, and I discuss their most heavily criticized underlying assumptions. In particular, I emphasize a recent work showing that transplanted institutions change over time due to primitive social factors. Hence, I conclude that future studies should consider the evolving nature of legal systems and that the determinants of this evolution also shape the economic performances we are interested to explain.

Rule of Law Reform and Development

Rule of Law Reform and Development PDF

Author: M. J. Trebilcock

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1848442971

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Rule of Law Reform and Development stands out as an important contribution. Michael Trebilcock and Ronald Daniels have produced an ambitious, comprehensive, and persuasive book that will be of interest to both rule of law practitioners and academics. . . the book s overall strengths as a near-encyclopaedic appraisal of law and development will ensure its standing as a key resource for this still rapidly evolving field. Irina Ceric, Canadian Journal of Law and Society This book offers a sophisticated yet pragmatic account of the proper purposes of rule of law reform, the obstacles to achieving it, and the role that the international community can play. The procedural conception of the rule of law offers an appealing alternative to both one-size-fits-all universalism on the one hand and unconstrained relativism on the other. Kevin Davis, New York University School of Law, US This is the book that I have been waiting for. Even though rule of law has become the new mantra in development, its meaning remains elusive and its operational content unclear. This book helps us think systematically about it. Grounded in a procedural conceptualization of the rule of law, and supported by detailed case studies, Trebilcock and Daniels analysis lays out a theoretically sophisticated, yet practical agenda for making progress with rule-of-law reforms. Dani Rodrik, Harvard University, US This is a book on the role of legal institutions in economic development that is rich in institutional analysis and nuanced in terms of sensitivity to social, historical and political-economy issues that arise in the implementation of the rule of law. I particularly value its major focus on the need for balance between independence and accountability that afflict any rule of law reform: a balance which is missing in more one-sided accounts in the literature. I believe the book will be widely read and appreciated. Pranab Bardhan, University of California, Berkeley, US Within the law and development literature it is the most knowledgeable and comprehensive book on legal reform. I think that it will find a grateful readership among people working in development agencies, in humanitarian organizations and among scholars and students of development studies. Hans-Bernd Schäfer, University of Hamburg, Germany By identifying the key politico-economic reasons why rule-of-law reforms in developing countries have faltered and drawing out the implications for future strategy, this book is of immense importance and should be widely read. Anthony Ogus, CBE, FBA, University of Manchester, UK This important book addresses a number of key issues regarding the relationship between the rule of law and development. It presents a deep and insightful inquiry into the current orthodoxy that the rule of law is the panacea for the world s problems. The authors chart the precarious progress of law reforms both in overall terms and in specific policy areas such as the judiciary, the police, tax administration and access to justice, among others. They accept that the rule of law is necessarily tied to the success of development, although they propose a set of procedural values to enlighten this institutional approach. The authors also recognize that states face difficulties in implementing this institutional structures and identify the probable impediments, before proposing a rethink of law reform strategies and offering some conclusions about the role of the international community in the rule of law reform. Reviewing the progress in the rule of law reform in developing countries, specifically four regions Latin America, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia this book makes a significant contribution to the literature. It will be of great interest to scholars and advanced students, as well as practitioners in the field, including international and bilateral aid agencies working on rule of law reform projects, and international and regional non-governmental organiza

The New Law and Economic Development

The New Law and Economic Development PDF

Author: David M. Trubek

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2006-08-21

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 1139458663

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This book is a collection of essays that identify and analyze a new phase in thinking about the role of law in economic development and in the practices of development agencies that support law reform. The authors trace the history of theory and doctrine in this field, relating it to changing ideas about development and its institutional practices. The essays describe a new phase in thinking about the relation between law and economic development and analyze how this rising consensus differs from previous efforts to use law as an instrument to achieve social and economic progress. In analyzing the current phase, these essays also identify tensions and contradictions in current practice. This work is a comprehensive treatment of this emerging paradigm, situating it within the intellectual and historical framework of the most influential development models since World War II.

World Development Report 2017

World Development Report 2017 PDF

Author: World Bank Group

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2017-01-23

Total Pages: 605

ISBN-13: 1464809518

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Why are carefully designed, sensible policies too often not adopted or implemented? When they are, why do they often fail to generate development outcomes such as security, growth, and equity? And why do some bad policies endure? World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law addresses these fundamental questions, which are at the heart of development. Policy making and policy implementation do not occur in a vacuum. Rather, they take place in complex political and social settings, in which individuals and groups with unequal power interact within changing rules as they pursue conflicting interests. The process of these interactions is what this Report calls governance, and the space in which these interactions take place, the policy arena. The capacity of actors to commit and their willingness to cooperate and coordinate to achieve socially desirable goals are what matter for effectiveness. However, who bargains, who is excluded, and what barriers block entry to the policy arena determine the selection and implementation of policies and, consequently, their impact on development outcomes. Exclusion, capture, and clientelism are manifestations of power asymmetries that lead to failures to achieve security, growth, and equity. The distribution of power in society is partly determined by history. Yet, there is room for positive change. This Report reveals that governance can mitigate, even overcome, power asymmetries to bring about more effective policy interventions that achieve sustainable improvements in security, growth, and equity. This happens by shifting the incentives of those with power, reshaping their preferences in favor of good outcomes, and taking into account the interests of previously excluded participants. These changes can come about through bargains among elites and greater citizen engagement, as well as by international actors supporting rules that strengthen coalitions for reform.

Good Government and Law

Good Government and Law PDF

Author: J. Faundez

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-07-27

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1349252298

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The provision of legal technical assistance has in recent years become a major concern for international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, and for Western-based bilateral donor agencies. This book offers critical perspectives for the evaluation of legal technical assistance projects and contains proposals for action and research. Five chapters offer general perspectives on law, state and civil society and the remaining six case studies on themes such as economic regulation, agrarian reform, representation of women and access to justice.

The Rule Of Law And Economic Reform In Russia

The Rule Of Law And Economic Reform In Russia PDF

Author: Jeffery Sachs

Publisher: Westview Press

Published: 1997-06-06

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13:

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This collection of essays examines how Russia's distinctive traditions of law-and lawlessness-are shaping the current struggle for economic reform in the country.

Law and the Economy in Colonial India

Law and the Economy in Colonial India PDF

Author: Tirthankar Roy

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2016-09-20

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 022638764X

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By accessibly recounting and analyzing the unique experience of institutions in colonial Indiawhich were influenced heavily by both British Common Law and indigenous Indian practices and traditionsLaw and the Economy in Colonial India sheds new light on what exactly fosters the types of institutions that have been key to economic development throughout world history more generally. The culmination and years of research, the book goes through a range of examples, including textiles, opium, tea, indigo, tenancy, credit, and land mortgage, to show how economic laws in colonial India were shaped neither by imported European ideas about how colonies should be ruled nor indigenous institutions, but by the practice of producing and trading. The book is an essential addition to Indian history and to some of the most fundamental questions in economic history."