This book argues that there are three dividing lines regarding modes and consequences of property transfers which should not be conflated by comparative lawyers, namely, intent alone versus intent plus, unitary approach versus separatist approach, and causality versus abstraction. Unlike Chinese law, English law takes a non-unified approach not only in the stage of transfer but also in the stage of restitution, where the consequence in relation to the property right transferred under a flawed underlying basis can be purely causal, purely abstract, and abstract in common law but causal in equity. Nevertheless, abstraction is normatively more justifiable than causality.
This book explores a range of comparative issues in, and in the relationship between, property law and contract law in English and Spanish law. It also draws on other jurisdictions. The purpose is to give readers access to discussions of these areas of private law that are not easily accessible elsewhere. It goes further, however, than simply setting out similarities and differences: it provides an insightful analysis of key points of interest in the comparison of the legal systems discussed.
Legal rules and principles do not exist in isolation, but form part of a system. In this structural comparison between English and German law, Birke Häcker explores the rules and principles governing impaired consent transfers of movable property and their reversal in two- and three-party situations. This book is a re-publication of a work first published by Mohr Siebeck in Germany.
This is the second edition of the widely acclaimed and successful casebook on Contract in the Ius Commune Series, developed to be used throughout Europe and aimed at those who teach, learn or practise law with a comparative or European perspective. The book contains leading cases, legislation and other materials from the legal traditions within Europe, with a focus on English, French and German law as the main representatives of those traditions. The book contains the basic texts and contrasting cases as well as extracts from the various international restatements (the Vienna Sales Convention, the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, the Principles of European Contract Law, the Draft Common Frame of Reference and so on). Materials are chosen and ordered so as to foster comparative study, and complemented with annotations and comparative overviews prepared by a multinational team. The whole Casebook is in English. The principal subjects covered in this book include: General (including the distinctions between Contract and Property, Tort and Restitution) ; Formation; Validity; Interpretation and Contents; Remedies; Supervening Events; and Third Parties. Please click on the link below to visit the series website: www.casebooks.eu/contractLaw.
Transactions in land and other real property differ between countries throughout Europe. The transaction procedures reflect formal rules, but they are also normalized through conventions and professional codes of conduct. This complex of technical, legal and economic issues was investigated from the point of view of transaction economics through an ESF-COST supported Action G9 ‘Modeling Real Property Transactions’. The research was performed between 2001 and 2005 by researchers mainly from university departments related to land surveying, real estate management, geo-information sciences and knowledge engineering. This book represents the final outcome of that study. A modeling approach was elaborated and tested on a number of countries (especially Sweden and Slovenia, for which the models are shown in this book in the Unified Modeling Language (UML)). The modeling approach leads to transparency and allows comparison. Nevertheless, the influence of the national and social contexts, and the different perspectives that can be taken, prevent a simple ranking of the studied procedures. For those planning or comparing transaction procedures or parts thereof, the book supplies a tested approach and methodology. But the book eventually warns of simplification in this field full of complex national institutional arrangements.
This is the first of a series of national reports on basic issues concerning the acquisition and loss of ownership of movable assets. The series is planned to cover 27 European legal systems, distributed over six volumes, as a product of the research activities of the working group "Transfer of Movables" within the "Study Group on a European Civil Code". Starting with general property law issues like the concepts of ownership and possession employed in the respective legal systems, and the related means of protection, the reports primarily deal with the "derivative" transfer of ownership, but extend to good faith acquisition from a non-owner, acquisitive prescription, processing and commingling, and further related issues. The reports provide the reader with detailed information about the respective rules, case law and legal literature, prepared by national property law experts. These reports are a starting point for further comparative research in property law and also a tool for practitioners searching for information on foreign legal systems. Where available and as far as reasonable, the reports include translations of the most important statutory provisions either in the text or in an annex. All reports include a table of literature and a table of abbreviations, which shall facilitate carrying out further research.
Uwe Kischel's comprehensive treatise on comparative law offers a critical introduction to the central tenets of comparative legal scholarship. The first part of the book is dedicated to general aspects of comparative law. The controversial question of methods, in particular, is addressed by explaining and discussing different approaches, and by developing a contextual approach that seeks to engage with real-world issues and takes a practical perspective on contemporary comparative legal scholarship. The second part of the book offers a detailed treatment of the major legal contexts across the globe, including common law, civil law systems (based on Germany and France, and extended to Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and Latin America, among others), the African context (with an emphasis on customary law), different contexts in Asia, Islamic law and law in Islamic countries (plus a brief treatment of Jewish law and canon law), and transnational contexts (public international law, European Union law, and lex mercatoria). The book offers a coherent treatment of global legal systems that aims not only to describe their varying norms and legal institutions but to propose a better way of seeking to understand how the overall context of legal systems influences legal thinking and legal practice.
Now that the most recent scientific estimates have shown that China has become the world's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, China's influence on the world's environment and sustainable development highlights the importance of tailoring Chinese climate change law to conform with the requirements of international conventions and agreements on climate change. This thorough analysis, based on an examination of climate status, legal background, and current regulatory systems in China, examines the potential role of different policy instruments in reducing carbon emissions in order to find an appropriate choice for China, and recommends approaches to key issues for relevant authorities. The author conducts a comprehensive and in-depth study on the three mainstream environmental policy instruments used to control carbon emissions – the cap-and-trade system, the carbon tax, and command-and- control regulations – in a Chinese context. She reviews China's current policies, and elucidates how the issues of climate change and global warming call for social, environmental, economic, and legal reforms in China, especially in the areas of administrative law and property rights law. Among the issues and topics covered are the following: - key issues on designing and implementing each of the three policy instruments; - the choice of regulatory instruments for carbon emissions reduction in a socialist market economy based on the discussion of market failure and government failure theories; - legal challenges from China's current administrative legislation and the definition of carbon emissions entitlements; - practical effect of China's climate change policy at the national, provincial, and local levels; - effectiveness of China's implementation of its international obligations; - lessons learned from schemes implemented in the United States and Australia; - comparison of China's seven regional pilot emissions trading scheme (ETS) programmes with the well-established EU ETS; - linkage between China's ETS and other ETSs from a global perspective; and - future direction of an emerging carbon market in China. The analysis assesses the critical costs and benefits of each approach in the context of selected case studies, taking legal literature in the field fully into account. Given that the Chinese government is taking steps to reduce emissions by altering energy production and usage and is signalling a willingness to make similar commitments in a multilateral treaty, it is very timely and important for lawmakers and scholars, within and outside China, to think about new and appropriate regulatory measures to respond to the crisis and plan for a sustainable future. This study provides not only a useful benchmark for both China and other countries in formulating initiatives on enhancing climate protection, but also details the global implications for governments and for international organizations concerned with the understanding between China and the rest of the world in the context of climate change mitigation.
Recently the contract section of the German Civil Code was amended after one hundred years of un-altered existence. The German Law of Contract, radically recast, enlarged, and re-written since its first edition, now details and explains for the first time these changes for the benefit of Anglophone lawyers. One hundred and twenty translated contract decisions also make this work a unique source-book for students, academics, and practitioners. Along with its companion volume, The German Law of Torts, the two volumes provide one of the fullest accounts of the German Law of Obligations available in the English language. Through its method of presentation of German law, the book represents an original contribution to the art of comparison. An additional feature of the Contract volume is the way in which it reveals the growing impact which European Directives are having upon the traditional, liberal, contract model, thereby bringing German and English law closer to each other, especially in the area of consumer protection.
