The Law and Economics of Class Actions in Europe

The Law and Economics of Class Actions in Europe
Author: Jürgen G. Backhaus
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1781001243

'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.

Law and Economics in Europe

Law and Economics in Europe
Author: Klaus Mathis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2013-11-11
Genre: Law
ISBN: 940077110X

This anthology illustrates how law and economics is developing in Europe and what opportunities and problems – both in general and specific legal fields – are associated with this approach within the legal traditions of European countries. The first part illuminates the differences in the development and reception of the economic analysis of law in the American Common Law system and in the continental European Civil Law system. The second part focuses on the different ways of thinking of lawyers and economists, which clash in economic analysis of law. The third part is devoted to legal transplants, which often accompany the reception of law and economics from the United States. Finally, the fourth part focuses on the role economic analysis plays in the law of the European Union. This anthology with its 14 essays from young European legal scholars is an important milestone in establishing a European law and economics culture and tradition.

Collective Actions in Europe

Collective Actions in Europe
Author: Csongor István Nagy
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2019-08-19
Genre: Law
ISBN: 3030242226

This open access book offers an analytical presentation of how Europe has created its own version of collective actions. In the last three decades, Europe has seen a remarkable proliferation of collective action legislation, making class actions the most successful export product of the American legal scholarship. While its spread has been surrounded by distrust and suspiciousness, today more than half of the EU Member States have introduced collective actions for damages and from those who did, more than half chose, to some extent, the opt-out system.This book demonstrates why collective actions have been felt needed from the perspective of access to justice and effectiveness of law, the European debate and the deep layers of the European reaction and resistance, revealing how the Copernican turn of class actions questions the fundamentals of the European thinking about market and public interest. Using a transsystemic presentation of the European national models, it analyzes the way collective actions were accommodated with the European regulatory environment, the novel and peculiar regulatory questions they had to address and how and why they work differently on this side of the Atlantic.

The Law and Economics of Class Actions

The Law and Economics of Class Actions
Author: James Langenfeld
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2014-03-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 178350952X

This book focuses on the changing landscape of class action law and its interaction with the economic analysis of key issues in class actions. Articles examine the elements of class action law from diverse viewpoints, featuring defendant and plaintiff perspectives, concerning domestic and international law, and written by lawyers and economists.

Regulation Versus Litigation

Regulation Versus Litigation
Author: Daniel P. Kessler
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2011-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0226432181

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.

The Conservative Case for Class Actions

The Conservative Case for Class Actions
Author: Brian T. Fitzpatrick
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2019-11-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 022665933X

Since the 1960s, the class action lawsuit has been a powerful tool for holding businesses accountable. Yet years of attacks by corporate America and unfavorable rulings by the Supreme Court have left its future uncertain. In this book, Brian T. Fitzpatrick makes the case for the importance of class action litigation from a surprising political perspective: an unabashedly conservative point of view. Conservatives have opposed class actions in recent years, but Fitzpatrick argues that they should see such litigation not as a danger to the economy, but as a form of private enforcement of the law. He starts from the premise that all of us, conservatives and libertarians included, believe that markets need at least some rules to thrive, from laws that enforce contracts to laws that prevent companies from committing fraud. He also reminds us that conservatives consider the private sector to be superior to the government in most areas. And the relatively little-discussed intersection of those two beliefs is where the benefits of class action lawsuits become clear: when corporations commit misdeeds, class action lawsuits enlist the private sector to intervene, resulting in a smaller role for the government, lower taxes, and, ultimately, more effective solutions. Offering a novel argument that will surprise partisans on all sides, The Conservative Case for Class Actions is sure to breathe new life into this long-running debate.

New Trends in Financing Civil Litigation in Europe

New Trends in Financing Civil Litigation in Europe
Author: Mark Tuil
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1849808961

This unique and timely book analyses the problem of financing civil litigation. The expert contributors discuss the legal possibilities and difficulties associated with several instruments - including cost shifting, fee arrangements, legal expense insurance and group litigation. The authors assess the impact of these instruments from a law and economics perspective and provide empirical information on the way in which they work in practice. A transatlantic perspective on financing civil litigation is also provided. New Trends in Financing Civil Litigation in Europe reveals that as well as improving access to justice, several instruments have the potential to screen cases based on their quality. The book also shows how the choice of instrument can affect the behaviour of actors throughout the litigation process.

Economic Evidence in EU Competition Law

Economic Evidence in EU Competition Law
Author: Mitja Kovač
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Antitrust law
ISBN: 9781780682860

This edited volume addresses the importance, implications, practices, problems and the role of economic evidence in EU competition law. It includes contributions on the use of the economic approach in the application and enforcement of EU competition law in different EU countries, candidate member states and third countries.

The Law and Economics of Enforcing European Consumer Law

The Law and Economics of Enforcing European Consumer Law
Author: Franziska Weber
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2016-03-03
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1317026136

In the internet age, the need for effective consumer law enforcement has arguably never been greater. This timely book is a comparative law and economic analysis of the changing landscape of EU consumer law enforcement policy. EU member states are moving away from purely public or private law enforcement and now appear to be moving towards a more mixed approach, not least due to European legislation. This book reflects on the need for and creation of efficient enforcement designs. It examines the various economic factors according to which the efficiency of different enforcement mechanisms can be assessed. Hypothetical case scenarios within package travel and misleading advertising, dealing with substantial individual harm and trifling and widespread harm are used to illustrate various consumer law problems. Design suggestions on how to optimally mix enforcement mechanisms for these case scenarios are developed. The findings are then used as a benchmark to assess real life situations in countries with different enforcement traditions - the Netherlands, Sweden and England. The book is of value to both researchers and policy-makers working in the area of consumer protection.

Law and Economics of Innovation

Law and Economics of Innovation
Author: Eli M. Salzberger
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Intellectual property
ISBN: 9780857939159

This authoritative volume includes a selection of seminal articles published in the emerging field of technological progress and innovation. The first part of the book is dedicated to the economics of innovation, while the following parts include important papers in various legal areas that focus on innovation. The legal fields covered by the collection include intellectual property, torts, competition law and regulation. Along with an original introduction by Professor Salzberger, this comprehensive book will be useful to researchers, students and legal practitioners who are interested in innovation and is a must in any research library.