Comparative Law in a Changing World / Edition 3

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Introducing comparative law     1
Introduction     1
Definitions and derivatives     3
Comparative law distinguished from other disciplines     8
A rationale for comparative law     11
The origins of comparative law     11
Comparative law in England     16
The contemporary significance of comparative law     18
Key concepts in the comparative law method     27
The classification of legal systems into legal families     32
Terminology     32
Criteria used to classify legal systems     37
Convergence theory and legal unity     43
The civil law system     45
Terminology     45
Historical development of the civil law tradition     49
Overview of the civil law tradition     97
The English common law system     100
Introduction     100
Terminology     102
The English common law tradition     103
The common law in the United States     108
The common law tradition in South East Asia     119
The common law in India     126
The common law in the Far East: Hong Kong     128
Comparative overview     137
European Community law     140
Introduction     140
Scope of chapter     141
Monism, dualism and the accession of Britain     142
The Single European Act 1986     145
The institutional framework of the Community     146
Difficulties in comparison     158
Comparison of legal style of Community law with other systems     159
The Community's legal order/regime     165
The Maastricht Treaty     176
Conclusions     181
Socialist law and other types of legal systems     184
Scope of chapter     184
The socialist system and Russia     184
Hybrid legal systems     208
Other types of law     209
Eastern legal conceptions     209
Techniques of comparative law     219
Scope of chapter     219
General considerations     219
The quest for methodology     231
Comparative law methods     240
A comparative study of judicial styles and case law     250
The meaning of 'case law'     250
Case law as a source of law     250
Key issues      251
The authority of case law in non-common law jurisdictions     251
Styles of judicial decision     254
The relevance of overriding general principles     266
Conclusions     270
A comparative study of statutory interpretation     273
Defining 'statutory interpretation'     273
General comparative observations     273
Methods and techniques of statutory interpretation     275
Comparative overview     292
Conclusions     298
The law of obligations: a comparative study of contract and tort     300
Introduction     300
Historical development: a comparative analysis     301
Tort and contract: contemporary comparative aspects     320
Tort law and traffic accidents     342
Fault in the law of contract and tort     346
Interaction of tort and contract     347
Comparative overview     349
Corporate and commercial law     353
Scope of analysis     353
Problems in comparison of company laws     354
Key conceptual questions     354
Forms of business organisation: a comparative overview     357
Comparative overview of agency     385
European Community corporate law     391
Comparative corporate law: conclusions     394
Sale of goods     397
Introduction     397
The historical background     398
Key issues in sales of goods     401
Comparative study of European civil law countries     402
The English common law approach     419
Harmonisation of European laws on consumer goods     452
The Uniform Laws on International Sales     453
Comparative overview     462
Labour law     465
Scope of chapter     465
Historical development     466
Comparative overview     489
Globalisation and the new world order     493
Introduction     493
The significance of legal history     495
A new world order?     496
Theories of convergence     499
Global convergence and the Fukuyama Thesis     507
Unification of legal systems     510
The dawn of a new era in world history     517
Comparative law and the impact of globalisation     518
Conclusions     520
Index     525