Empirical Legal Analysis

<p>This innovative volume explores empirical legal issues around the world. While legal studies have traditionally been worked on and of letters and with a normative bent in recent years quantitative methods have gained traction by offering a brand new perspective of understanding law. That is legal scholars have started to crunch numbers not letters to tease out the effects of law on the regulated industries citizens or judges in reality. </p><p>In this edited book authors from leading institutions in the U.S. Europe and Asia investigate legal issues in South Africa Argentina the U.S. Israel Taiwan and other countries. Using original data in a variety of statistical tools (from the most basic chi-square analysis to sophisticated two-stage least square regression models) contributors to this book look into the judicial behaviours in Taiwan and Israel the determinants of constitutional judicial systems in 100 countries and the effect of appellate court decisions on media competition. In addition this book breaks new ground in informing important policy debates. Specifically how long should we incarcerate criminals? Should the medical malpractice liability system be reformed? Do police reduce crime? Why is South Africa’s democratic transition viable? </p><p>With solid data as evidence this volume sheds new light on these issues from a road more and more frequently taken—what is known as empirical legal studies/analysis. This book should be useful to students practitioners and professors of law economics and public policy in many countries who seek to understand their legal system from a different and arguably more scientific perspective.</p>