| Econ 371Home Page | Links | |
| Economics
371 |
Noelwah
R. Netusil |
| Spring 2008 |
CC
227, x7306 |
| Syllabus |
e-mail:
netusil@reed.edu |
Course Content: This course will explore the field of law and economics. We will use microeconomic tools to examine torts, contracts, and property law as well as the theory and empirical evidence on criminal behavior. This course is taught with the expectation that students have completed Economics 201.
Office Hours: Office hours will be held in Vollum 227 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-11am and on Tuesdays from 3-4pm. Students who are unable to come during these times are encouraged to make an appointment.
Text and Required Reading: The principal textbook for this course is Law and Economics (5th edition) by Robert Cooter and Thomas Ulen. Students are responsible for the required readings on the attached list and for additional readings that will be announced in class. Articles marked with a "*" are optional. Students are expected to contribute to class discussions by finding and posting articles on the course Moodle site from news sources such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Economist.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on a paper that analyzes a recent property, contract, or tort case, a midterm and final examination, and class participation.
Assignment List, Due Dates, and Exam Schedule: The following is a list of assignments and due dates. All assignments are due in-class on the date listed below. In fairness to other students, late assignments will be penalized 1/2 grade for each day past the due date. Assignments handed in more than 5 days after the due date will not be accepted.
The comprehensive final examination will be administered during finals week. The date for the final examination will be confirmed by the Registrar's Office at mid-semester.
Examinations:
Midterm Examination: Friday, March 14th
Final Examination: Set by the Registrar’s Office at mid-semester
Course paper deadlines:
| Prospectus |
|
|
Rough Draft |
Wednesday,
April 16th |
|
Final Paper |
Due
at the start of the final examination |
Reserve Materials: The following books are on two-hour reserve. Readings marked with a * are optional.
Cooter, Robert and Thomas Ulen. 2008. Law and Economics (5th edition) Pearson Addison Wesley: Boston, MA.
Dau-Schmidt Kenneth G. and Thomas Ulen. 1998. Law and Economics Anthology Anderson Publishing Co.: Cincinnati, Ohio.
Burnham, William. 2002. Introduction to the Law and Legal System of the
United States (3rd edition) West Group: St. Paul,
MN.
Sunstein, et al. 2002. Punitive Damages: How Juries Decide University
of Chicago Press, Chicago: IL.
Reference Materials: The following materials are located in the reference room of the Reed Library.
Peter Newman (editor). 1998. The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics and the Law London Macmillan Reference; Stockton Press: New York, NY.
Cohen, Morris L., Robert C. Berring, and Kent C. Olson. 1989. How To Find The Law (9th edition) West Publishing Co.: St. Paul, Minn.
Black, Henry Campbell. 1990. Black's Law Dictionary West Publishing Co: St. Paul, Minn.
Janosik, Robert J. 1987. Encyclopedia of the American Judicial System: Studies of the Principal Institutions and Processes of Law Schribner: New York, NY.
Course Outline and Readings
I. Introduction (January 28)
Cooter
and Ulen, Chapter 1
II. Introduction to the Legal System and to
the Common Law of Property, Contracts, and Torts (January 30)
Cooter
and Ulen, Chapter 3
*The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. 1999. Understanding the Federal Courts Washington D.C.
*Cohen, Berring, and Olson. How to Find the Law, Chapters 1 and 2.
*Hegland, Kenney. 2000. Introduction to the Study and Practice of Law (3rd edition) St. Paul, Minn. West Publishing Co.
*Glendon, Mary Ann, Michael W. Gordon, and Paolo G. Carozza. 1999. In a Nutshell: Comparative Legal Traditions St. Paul, Minn. West Publishing Co.
III. Economic Approach to Law (February 1 and 4)
Cooter and Ulen, Chapter 2
Posner, Richard A. 1992. The Economic Approach to Law, Chapter 2 from Economic Analysis of Law (4th edition). In Dau-Schmidt and Ulen: 15-20.
Veljanovski, Cento G. 1980. The Economic Approach to Law: A Critical Introduction, 7 Brit. J. Law & Society 158. In Dau-Schmidt and Ulen: 21-36.
Ellickson, Robert C. 1989. Bringing Culture and Human Frailty to Rational Actors: A Critique of Classical Law and Economics, Symposium on Post-Chicago Law and Economics, 65 Chicago-Kent Law Review 23. In Dau-Schmidt and Ulen: 66-79.
*Posner,
Richard A. 1992. The Nature of Economic Reasoning, Chapter 1 from Economic
Analysis of Law (4th edition)
in Dau-Schmidt and Ulen: 1-14.
III. The Economics of Property Law
A. An Economic Theory of Property Law (February 6, 8 and 11)
Cooter and Ulen, Chapter 4 and Appendix
Coase, Ronald H. 1960. The Problem of Social Cost Journal of Law and Economics 3 (October): 1-44.
Calabresi, Guido and A. Douglas Melamed. 1972. Property Rules, Liability Rules, and Inalienability: One View of the Cathedral Harvard Law Review. In Dau-Schmidt and Ulen: 193-198.
Ellickson, Robert C. 1993. Property in Land Yale Law Journal. In Dau-Schmidt and Ulen: 178-192.
Cooter and Ulen, Chapter 5 (to page 143).
Friedman, David, William Landes, and Richard Posner. 1991. Some Economics of Trade Secret Law Journal of Economic Perspectives 5 (Winter): 61-72.
Lemley, Mark A. and Carl Shapiro. 2005. Probabilistic Patents Journal of Economic Perspectives 19(2) 75-98.
The
Economist. 2001. A
War over Drugs and Patents; Drugs, Patents and AIDS. (March 10): 43.
Porter, Eduardo. 2004. Do New Drugs Always Have to Cost So Much? The New York Times (November 14).
Gill, Dee. 2000. Defending Your Rights: Protecting Intellectual Property Is Expensive -- and Often Crucial The Wall Street Journal (September 25): 6.
Landes, William and Douglas Lichtman. 2003. Indirect Liability for Copyright Infringement: Napster and Beyond Journal of Economic Perspectives 17(2) 113-124.
*Vaidhyanathan, Siva. 2004. The State of Copyright Activism First Monday 9(4)
*Posner, Richard A. 2005. Intellectual Property: The Law and Economics Approach Journal of Economic Perspectives 19(2) 57-73.
*The Economist. 2005. A Market for Ideas: A Survey of Patents and Technology (October 22).
Session with Dena Hutto in Library 17: February 22nd
Cooter and Ulen, Chapter 5 (pages 143-174).
The Economist. 2003. Economics Focus: Should Radio Spectrum be Treated as Property, or as a Common Resource? May 31: 76.
Tabarrok, Alexander. 2004. Life-Saving Incentives: Consequences, Costs and Solutions to the Organ Shortage. The Library of Economics and Liberty
Brown, Susan and David Glenn. 2007. The True Price of a Human Organ. The Chronicle of Higher Education (March 23).
Cooter and Ulen, Chapter 5 (pages 174-end).
The Economist. 2005. Hands Off Our Homes (August 20): 21-22.
60 Minutes. 2003. Eminent Domain (September 28).