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| DROI0961-1 | Law and economy
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| Duration : | 30h Th |
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| Credits/ECTS : |
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| Holder(s) : | Anne‑Lise Sibony |
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| Language : | French language |
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| Course contents : | This course is an opportunity for students to get acquainted with a perspective on the law, which is distinct from traditional legal scholarship. Economic analysis of law (also known as "Law and Economics") is a school of thought, which originally developed in the United States and is less common in Europe. The defining feature of this school consists in analysing law and legal processes through the lens of an economic questioning, asking in particular whether a rule or a legal institution is efficient, a question not traditionally asked by lawyers. In this sense, economic analysis of law constitutes an external perspective: it judges the law from the outside. This course offers an introduction to Law and Economics, but also invites students to critically discuss the propositions of authors from this school. Students will be invited to analyse particular propositions and ask themselves whether they are acceptable in a legal perspective. They will analyse if, when and by whom they can be used in real life legal contexts. In so doing, students will reflect upon the ways in which the external perspective of Law and Economics may be used within the legal sphere. |
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| Course objective : | This course pursues both subject-specific goals and horizontal skill development objectives.
Regarding the subject-matter of the course, students will, at the end of the course know the basics of law and economics. They will have read a few classic texts, will know how to characterise this approach and will be familiar, inter alia, with economic analysis of tort, contract. They will also have a view on how economic analysis can be used in actual legal contexts: whether at the rulemaking stage or at trial level.
From a methological perspective, the course aims at developping students' abilities to appraise legal discourses critically. The course therefore also aims at developing students' argumentative and critical thinking skills. |
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| Prerequisites : | Basic knowledge of contracts and torts |
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| Organization : | Students are expected to prepare the readings assigned for each class. Most readings will be in French and some in English. In class, students are expected to take ab active part in discussions. A few brief assignments (1-2 pages) will be asked from students. This course will be co-taught by Samuel Ferey (Lecturer in Economics, University of Nancy 2). |
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| Written notes : | There are no written notes for this course. A reading pack is provided. |
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| Assessment : | Evaluation for this course consists of a written assignment (50 000 characters, in French) and an oral examination. The essay counts for 50% and the oral exam for 50%. |
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| Contacts : | Anne-Lise Sibony (alsibony@ulg.ac.be).
Office hours: Thursday 2pm-4pm (please make an appointment) |
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