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Complexity theory & law: mapping an emergent jurisprudence

Research output: Book/Report/ProceedingsBook

Published
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Publication date30/07/2018
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherRoutledge
Number of pages288
ISBN (electronic)9781315158976
ISBN (print)9780415786096
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Publication series

NameLaw, Science and Society
PublisherRoutledge

Abstract

This collection of essays explores the different ways the insights from complexity theory can be applied to law. Complexity theory – a variant of systems theory – views law as an emergent, complex, self-organising system comprised of an interactive network of actors and systems that operate with no overall guiding hand, giving rise to complex, collective behaviour in law communications and actions. Addressing such issues as the unpredictability of legal systems, the ability of legal systems to adapt to changes in society, the importance of context, and the nature of law, the essays look to the implications of a complexity theory analysis for the study of public policy and administrative law, international law and human rights, regulatory practices in business and finance, and the practice of law and legal ethics. These are areas where law, which craves certainty, encounters unending, irresolvable complexity. This collection shows the many ways complexity theory thinking can reshape and clarify our understanding of the various problems relating to the theory and practice of law.

Bibliographic note

A preview of part of this book can be viewed on the publisher's website - here https://www.routledge.com/Complexity-Theory-and-Law-Mapping-an-Emergent-Jurisprudence/Murray-Webb-Wheatley/p/book/9780415786096