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When "Stuff Happens" Isn't Enough: How An Evolutionary Theory of Doctrinal and Legal System Development Can Enrich Comparative Legal Studies

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  • Goodenough Oliver R.

    (Vermont Law School and Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University)

Abstract

Comparative legal scholarship will benefit from better explanations of legal development. While the complications of legal systems are a challenge for cause and effect stories, evolutionary theory offers a powerful, yet relatively simple, set of explanatory principles that can be appropriately applied to both doctrinal topics and legal systems as a whole. The necessary starting point for an evolutionary analysis is to examine the three core components of evolution: descent, variation, and selection. Engaging these topics and developing good descriptions for each of them for the targeted system can be very helpful in providing good explanations to the "why" questions of comparative law analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Goodenough Oliver R., 2011. "When "Stuff Happens" Isn't Enough: How An Evolutionary Theory of Doctrinal and Legal System Development Can Enrich Comparative Legal Studies," Review of Law & Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 7(3), pages 805-820, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:rlecon:v:7:y:2011:i:3:n:8
    DOI: 10.2202/1555-5879.1572
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Simon Deakin, 2002. "Evolution for our time: a theory of legal memetics," Working Papers wp242, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    2. Du Laing Bart, 2011. "Bio-Legal History, Dual Inheritance Theory and Naturalistic Comparative Law: On Content and Context Biases in Legal Evolution," Review of Law & Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 7(3), pages 685-709, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Du Laing Bart & De Coninck Julie, 2011. "Introduction: Symposium on Evolutionary Approaches to (Comparative) Law: Integrating Theoretical Perspectives," Review of Law & Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 7(3), pages 653-658, December.

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