Econ 415, Fall 2011

Law and Economics
Fall 2011 GMU Syllabus

Economics 415 (section 001), meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-11:45am during Fall 2011, in Robinson Hall, Room B224.

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, Fourth Edition Aspen Publishers, 2010.

Robert Cooter and Thomas Ulen, Law and Economics, Sixth Edition, Addison Wesley 2012.

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?
What remedy or damages for cuckold?
Shall we let police tag-read all cars at all intersections? Gait/face read all pedestrians? May Google do the same?

Due Dates:

Quizes: 22Sept,20Oct,15Nov
Defended Opinions: 20Oct,15Nov,8Dec
Final: Dec 13, 10:30am-1:15pm.

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

Week	Text Chapters	Lecture Topics
30 Aug	F1-3, P1-2, C1-2	Law Intro, Economics Review
6 Sept	C3	Law and Legal Institutions
13 Sept	F4, C4	Coasean Analysis No Class Thursday
20 Sept	F5,10, P4, C4	Property
27 Sept	F11, C5	Property Continued
4 Oct	F12, P5, C6	Contract
11 Oct		Contract Continued No Class Tuesday
18 Oct	F13, P8, C7	Contract Continued
25 Oct	F14, P6, C8	Tort
1 Nov	F14, P7, C9	Tort Continued
8 Nov	C10, P16	Legal Process No Class Tuesday
15 Nov	F15, P10, C11	Crime
22 Nov	F18, P11, C12	Crime Continued
29 Nov	F17	Private Law
6 Dec		Other Alternatives
13 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/EC415F11.html

Law and Economics Fall 2011 GMU Syllabus

Disability Notice

Law and Economics
Fall 2011 GMU Syllabus