Postgraduate - UnitECX5472 - Law and economics

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Business and Economics
Offered	Not offered in 2012
Coordinator(s)	Professor Peter Forsyth and Professor Russell Smyth

Synopsis

The unit applies the method of economics to the analysis of the law itself - to the structure of the common law, legal processes, legal institutions and statutory regulation, and to the impact of law on the behaviour of individuals and groups and the functioning of the economy. Topics include: is there a role for law and economics in studying the law, economics of crime and capital punishment, punitive damages, interest group theories of judicial independence and the determinants of judicial influence and prestige.

Outcomes

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

understand the two-way interrelationships between law and economics
evaluate the key role of laws in setting the institutional framework in which economic decisions are taken and to critically evaluate current and proposed laws as determinants of economic performance
critically assess the responses of households and business enterprises to current and alternative laws.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 30%
Examination (3 hours): 70%

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Russell Smyth

Contact hours

3 hours per week