Law and Economics EC 470

MWF 11:00-11:50am, Sawyer 1021

Final Exam Tuesday April 29^th 10:30am-12:20pm

Dr. Benjamin Powell

Department of Economics

1 Bowdoin Sq. (6^th Floor)

bpowell@suffolk.edu (best way to reach me)

617-573-8023

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 2-3pm and by appointment

This course will cover an introduction to legal institutions and their evolution. We will review economic concepts relevant to the analysis of the law. We will apply economic concepts to property, contracts, torts, marriage, liability, and criminal law. We will also evaluate the efficiency of the common law, civil codes, and spontaneously evolved market law.

Prerequisites: EC 101 and EC 102

Grading

Final Exam 30%

Quizzes 30% (15% each)

Term Paper 25%

Participation 15%

Required Books

Law’s Order, by David Friedman

Economics and the Common Law: Cases & Analysis, by Allan DeSerpa

The Enterprise of Law, by Bruce Benson

Academic Integrity

Any student caught cheating on an exam or plagiarizing will receive a grade of “0” on the assignment. I also reserve the right to report the offending student to the Dean of Students. Consult your student handbook for further information.

Tentative Schedule

Week of Topic Readings

January 14^th-18^th Intro & Efficiency Order 3-27

January 21^st-25^th Inefficiency & Externality Order 28-46

(No Mon Class) Cases 1-14

January 28^th-Feb 1^st Defining and Enforcing Rights Order 47-83

Risk and Uncertainty

February 4^th-8^th Game Theory and Optimal Deterrence Order 84-102

February 11^th-15^th Quiz Quiz 1 Feb 11^th

American Legal System Order 103-111

February 18^th-22^nd Property Law Order 112-127

(No Mon Class) Cases 15-35

February 25^th-29^th Intellectual Property Law Order 128-144

Cases 101-118

March 3^rd-7^th Contract Law Order 145-170

Cases 119-134

March 10^th-14^th Marriage Law Order 171-188

Liability Law Cases TBA

Quiz 2 March 14^th

March 24^th-28^th Tort and Criminal Law Order 189-243

& 281-296

March 31^st-April 4^th Is Common Law Efficient? Order 297-308

Other Paths & 263-280

April 7^th-11^th Public Choice and Law Enterprise 43-77

April 14^th-18^th Market Created Law Enterprise 179-252

April 23^rd Comparative Legal System Efficiency Enterprise 271-311

(No Mon or Fri) Term Papers Due

FINAL EXAM Tuesday April 29^th 10:30am-12:20pm in Sawyer 1021