Econ 415, Fall 2010

Law and Economics
Fall 2010 GMU Syllabus

Economics 415, meets Tuesdays, 10:30-11:45am during Fall 2010, in Blueridge Hall, Room 129.

Instructor: Robin D. Hanson, Associate Professor, Economics (rhanson@gmu.edu, http://hanson.gmu.edu)
Office Hours: Officially Tues-Thurs 1:30-3p. But I'm usually in at Carow Hall 10A. Call ahead (703-993-2326) if you want to be sure.

Catalog Entry:

Econ 415 Law and Economics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ECON 306 or permission of instructor. An economic analysis of the law. Topics include an introduction to legal institutions and legal analysis; application of economic concepts to the law of property, contracts and torts, criminal law, and constitutional law; the economic efficiency of the common law; and a public choice perspective on the evolution of the law.

Required Texts:

David D. Friedman, Law's Order: What Economics Has to Do with Law and Why It Matters, Princeton Univ. Press 2000, ISBN 0691090092.

Recommended Text:

A. Mitchell Polinsky, Introduction To Law and Economics, Third Edition Aspen Publishers, 2003, ISBN 9780735534735.

Robert Cooter and Thomas Ulen, Law and Economics, Fifth Edition, Addison Wesley 2008, ISBN 0-321-33634-8

Goal of Class

Gain familiarity with basic facts and issues in the economics of law, and an ability to use basic economics to argue for particular legal outcomes.

Assignments:

Class Participation Please contribute to class discussions.
Quizes Three in-class quizes will given. Each quiz will emphasize the lectures and text readings since the previous quiz. Quizes are open book, open notes.
Defended Opinions Three times you will write a defense of your opinions on a legal topic. The assigned topics will be unusual, in order to encourage you to think them through yourself, rather than looking up what others have said. Limit your writing to two pages.

Legal Opinion Topics

Property: Who Gets What Asteriods and Sunlight?
Contract: What remedy or damages for cuckold?
Defend a Design: A punishment plan for any punishment level

Due Dates:

Quizes: 23Sept,21Oct,16Nov
Defended Opinions: 21Oct,16Nov,9Dec
Final: Dec 14, 10:30am-1:15pm.

Grade Weights: Class Participate 5%, 13% per Quiz and paper, 17% final.

Week	Text Chapters	Lecture Topics
31 Aug	F1-3, P1-2, C1-2	Law Intro, Economics Review
7 Sept	C3	Law and Legal Institutions
14 Sept	F4, C4	Coasean Analysis No Class Thursday
21 Sept	F5,10, P4, C4	Property
28 Sept	F11, C5	Property Continued
5 Oct	F12, P5, C6	Contract
12 Oct		Contract Continued No Class Tuesday
19 Oct	F13, P8, C7	Contract Continued
26 Oct	F14, P6, C8	Tort
2 Nov	F14, P7, C9	Tort Continued
9 Nov	C10, P16	Legal Process
16 Nov	F15, P10, C11	Crime
23 Nov	F18, P11, C12	Crime Continued No Class Thursday
30 Nov	F17	Private Law
7 Dec		Other Alternatives No Class Tuesday
14 Dec		Final Exam, 10:30am-1:15pm.

Disability Notice

If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.

This page is on web at http://hanson.gmu.edu/EC415F10.html

Law and Economics Fall 2010 GMU Syllabus

Disability Notice

Law and Economics
Fall 2010 GMU Syllabus