Fall 2021 - ECON 383 E100

Selected Topics in Economics (3)

Law & Economics

Class Number: 7655

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 8 – Dec 7, 2021: Thu, 4:30–7:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 11, 2021
    Sat, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    To be determined by the instructor subject to approval by the department chair.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The subject matter will vary from term to term.

COURSE DETAILS:

Selected Topics: Law & Economics

Prerequisites: ECON 103 & ECON 105; 60 units.


This class is about the economic analysis of law.

If you want to know the laws, you enroll in a law school and spend several years learning the statues, precedents, and courtroom procedures. If you want to understand the laws, you may be better off taking a class in Law & Economics. Unlike legal studies that are eclectic, Law & Economics uses several theories and methods from Economics to create a general framework to analyze legal regimes. Economic theory helps to explain why the laws are the way they are, allows evaluating the laws, aids in considerations of possible improvements for a legal system, and helps to predict how the law will change in response to various exogenous circumstances.

Economic analysis of law is based on several central notions. We think about a legal system as a set of incentives that are “designed” to achieve efficient allocations taking into account externalities, imperfect information, transaction costs, and possibly irrational actions or errors. The course will cover topics in property law, tort, crime and punishment, contracts, and legal procedures.

Please note that the textbooks for the course are available for free online. The links are listed with texts below.

Grading

  • Homework assignments 30%
  • Midterm exams 30%
  • Final exam 40%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Robert Cooter and Thomas Ulen, Law and Economics, 6th ed., 2016, Berkeley Law Books. Book 2.

Berkeley Law Library (downloadable pdf of every chapter + pdf of the entire textbook): https://lawcat.berkeley.edu/record/1127400?ln=en


RECOMMENDED READING:

David D Friedman, Law’s Order. What Economics Has to Do with Law and Why It Matters, 2001, Princeton University Press

http://www.daviddfriedman.com/laws_order/


Department Undergraduate Notes:

Please note that, as per Policy T20.01, the course requirements (and grading scheme) outlined here are subject to change up until the end of the first week of classes.

Final exam schedules will be released during the second month of classes. If your course has a final exam, please ensure that you are available during the entire final exam period until you receive confirmation of your exam dates. 

Students requiring accommodations as a result of a disability must contact the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) at 778-782-3112 or caladmin@sfu.ca.

***NO TUTORIALS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES***

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2021

Teaching at SFU in fall 2021 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with approximately 70 to 80 per cent of classes in person/on campus, with safety plans in place.  Whether your course will be in-person or through remote methods will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the fall 2021 term.