Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

This course will examine the various roles that law and legal institutions play in economic, social, and political development in both theory and practice. Its goal is to introduce students to some of the canonical writings on the subject and to critically examine ongoing debates in policy circles and academia by questioning their theoretical foundations and practical implications. The first part of the course will be devoted to general theories about the relation between law and economic development. The second part will examine different methods for assessing the relationship between law and economic development by critically reviewing recent empirical studies and index constructions. The third part takes a closer look on the state in economic development - as an agent of development, as a hindrance to development and as an absentee in even the most basic forms of social ordering. The fourth part examines the role of individuals and society, or social groups and the differentiated impact law may have on different parts of society. The fifth part, finally, is devoted to examining law and economic development in a broader international and geopolitical context. This part will highlight the role of multilateral organizations, the different kinds of legal regimes the international community has created for human rights on one hand, and investors on the other; and will use climate change to rethink the normative foundations of legal governance.