An Introduction to Law and Economics (Coursebook Series)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 202 pages
• Published by: Aspen Publishers
• Edition: 3rd Edition May 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 073553473X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0735534735
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 12 ounces

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Introduction to Law and Economics (Introduction to Law) (Paperback) I noted some time ago, in a review of Thomas Miceli's _Economics of the Law_, that this work is in some ways "orthogonal" to Miceli's. For one thing, Polinsky gives a fuller discussion of the Coase Theorem; for another, Polinsky at least raises the question whether there is some sort of tradeoff between "efficiency" and "equity." (The reader should be warned that neither of these terms means to an economist quite what it means to anyone else; "equity" in particular, as Polinsky himself is careful to explain, does not mean here what it means to a moral philosopher or a legal theorist.) As an introductory text, it's a good one; Polinsky tends to organize his presentation around well-chosen examples, and his discussion is usually pretty clear and accessible. Moreover, in apparent contrast to Miceli, he doesn't invoke much mathematics even of an elementary sort. But that mathematics is clearly lurking just beneath the surface of the words, and I caution the reader that Polinsky will be much easier to read if you've got some math background. (I don't mean graduate-level stuff; high-school algebra will likely be enough, and a little calculus will probably help.) This is a matter more of style than of substance; readers accustomed to dealing with mathematical texts will just be better equipped to worm their way into Polinsky's clear-but-dense prose and get his point. In coverage, Polinsky's book is pretty close to Cooter and Ulen's, but Cooter and Ulen are probably much more accessible to the typical beginning reader. Despite the absence of explicit mathematics, I'd personally rank Polinsky closer to Miceli in terms of difficulty; if Cooter and Ulen are "elementary" and Miceli is "advanced," then Polinsky is "high intermediate." Your mileage may vary.