The Economics of Harmonizing European Law

One of the major effects of the continual process of European integration is the growing importance of transnational institutions and the accompanying legal harmonization. Such institutional changes have led to a seemingly irreversible transformation in public decision making, whereby power at the national level is displaced to the European and regional levels. This essential book provides a law and economics analysis of the challenges arising from these shifts in authority. The process of harmonization is investigated from a normative point of view, in order to examine whether a uniform legal framework should be promoted. On the positive side, the goal is to assess the efficiency of this process and its impact on public policies. The authors then turn to applied issues and propose an agenda for future research. The book comprehensively covers both private and public law, as well as applied and theoretical issues. The authors analyse the legal debate from a new political economy perspective, offering diverse and sometimes contrasting views. The Economics of Harmonizing European Law highlights the debate between competition and harmonization which will be sure to shape the future of Europe. It should be read by students and scholars of law and economics, and European policymakers. It will also provide a valuable reference in the field of law harmonization for law practitioners.