Comparative Law

‘With its attention to postmodern, socio-legal and numerical approaches to comparative law, this book represents an innovative toolkit for analysing legal diversity. It further illustrates the significance of comparative analysis through references to several topical issues, ranging from corporate governance to human rights. Comparative law emerges as an open discipline, fundamental to understanding contemporary law in a global perspective.' Guido Comparato, Birkbeck, University of London

Praise for the first edition: 'Comparative law has transformed into a challenging and interdisciplinary field with a long intellectual history. Mathias Siems' welcomed addition to the field offers a stimulating and thoughtful introduction to a new kind of comparative law which is contextualised and cosmopolitan in its nature. The book offers an insightful overview of key issues arising in the comparative study of law today. Siems skilfully deals with established approaches, but also provides cutting-edge views on socio-legal and statistical approaches, as well as providing examples from politics, economics and development studies. The work by Siems is a concise synthesis and it is bound to enlighten and provoke its readers. This well-composed book makes wonderful reading for both students and scholars.' Jaakko Husa, University of Lapland

'A thoroughly researched and clearly written book, which sums up the many developments comparative law has undergone since 1971 when Zweigert and Kötz became the authoritative textbook. Siems explains how a cultural turn, discourse analysis, socio-legal studies, economic or numerical analysis of the law, and the dynamics of regionalisation and globalisation are shaping comparative law today, and predicts that “implicit comparative law” will increasingly be affected by comparisons in other social sciences with an interest in law. With many illustrations, diagrams and examples, Siems presents a reader-friendly account of the past and present, and a vision of the future, of comparative law.' Gerhard Dannemann, Humboldt University of Berlin

'Siems provides a modern, interdisciplinary approach to comparative law. For him, comparative law involves more than examining similarities and differences in legal rules and outcomes. Examining comparative research over the last forty years, he gives a critical analysis of what comparative study can achieve and suggests a sophisticated range of methods with which it can be undertaken. Refreshingly clear in its style, this book challenges comparative lawyers to play a central part in understanding the place of law in contemporary, complex and interconnected societies. It is an ideal starting point for anyone considering research in comparative law.' John Bell, University of Cambridge