Donald J Black

In depth investigations by 22 legal scholars comparing legal systems and dispute resolution. One question to ask about social programs is whether they are "effective". For example the "War on Poverty" was launched in the 1960s, but the editors point out that little was done to test the results. In fact, what evaluation was done was ignored. This book shows that that "war" succeeded, and greatly reduced poverty, but the evaluations failed.

Laura Nader articles regarding Zapotec and Shia Moslem law, Macaulay on contracts and business, Lowie on 1st century Rome and kinship structures, and other class, contract, and developmental dimensions.

JAPAN. Non-lawyers settle most of the disputes in Japan. Kawashima shows that courts rarely award damages related to the injuries and disputes rately resort to courts. This is explained by (1) hierarchical relations, (2) harmonious social roles, and finally (3) jidan-ya ("makers of compromise"), a special profession devoted to effecting resolution of disputes -- often by intimidation.[64] They just don't call them "lawyers". Judges are not trusted, and appeals are high on the few cases tried. [65]… (meer)