Political Economy of Law

In his new book Political Economy Of Law, Patrick McNutt (Manchester Business School) explores the meaning of law within a political environment, and advances many new ideas and concepts first addressed in his earlier book Law, Economics and Antitrust.
The joint use of both economic and legal reasoning is well supported by the carefully selected examples and case studies, which clarify the issues under review. This, together with the application of simple game theory language to explain the complex legal and economic concepts and to assemble the arguments throughout each of the chapters, provides an innovative exposition of the political economy of law. The book discusses a range of issues from legal, economic and ethical platforms, with a reference to intuitive argument, the debate between ethics and law, and case precedent. Topics explored include a discussion on the role of law and ethics, tort liability, property rights and neo-Walrasian antitrust. The author also covers lawlessness and criminal intent, internet markets and intellectual property rights, and competition, co-operation, and governance.