Università Roma Tre

SYLLABUS
THE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF LAW CLASS ALLOWS STUDENTS TO LOOK AT LEGAL RULES FROM A
DIFFERENT AND WIDER POINT OF VIEW IN COMPARISON WITH THE TRADITIONAL HERMENEUTIC
METHOD. THE PURPOSE OF THE COURSE IS TO ANALYZE THE LEGAL PHENOMENON THROUGH THE
ECONOMIC LENS AND, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THROUGH THE NOTIONS OF NEOCLASSICAL ECONOMICS.
THE PREDICTIVE ABILITY, TYPICAL OF THE ECONOMIC REASONING, ALLOWS ONE TO DETERMINE
WHICH INCENTIVES ARE PLACED ON INDIVIDUALS BY DIFFERENT LAWS AND, CONSEQUENTLY,
WHICH EFFECTS SHOULD BE REASONABLY EXPECTED FROM THE ADOPTION OF A CERTAIN
RULE. THE “LAW AND ECONOMICS” METHOD AIMS TO SELECT EFFICIENT RULES CAPABLE
OF MAXIMIZING THE SOCIAL WELFARE.
THE STARTING POINT OF THE COURSE IS THE ANALYSIS OF MICROECONOMICS’ BASIC NOTIONS
(E.G., DEMAND AND SUPPLY CURVES, MONOPOLY, THE PARETO PRINCIPLE, THE HOMO ECONOMICUS).
FURTHERMORE, THE ANALYSIS OF THE SO CALLED TRANSACTION COSTS AND OF THE
COASE THEOREM, WHICH SHOWS THAT LEGAL RULES MATTER, ALLOWS ONE TO GO INTO THE MERITS
OF THE SUBJECT AND TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE FOUNDATIONS OF “LAW AND ECONOMICS”
THROUGH WHICH THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF PRIVATE LAW ARE CONTEMPLATED: TORTS,
CONTRACTS, PROPERTY LAW AND CORPORATE LAW. THE COURSE RECKONS THE MOST RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS OF “LAW AND ECONOMICS” AND IN PARTICULAR ADDRESSES THE “BEHAVIORAL
LAW AND ECONOMICS” METHOD, WHICH SUPPLEMENTS THE RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY WITH
THE INSIGHTS OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY.

PER I NON FREQUENTANTI: COOTER R., MATTEI U., MONATERI P.G., PARDOLESI R.,
ULEN T., IL MERCATO DELLE REGOLE, VOL. I: I FONDAMENTI; E II: APPLICAZIONI, IL MULINO,
2006.
PER I FREQUENTANTI: COOTER R., MATTEI U., MONATERI P.G. , PARDOLESI R., ULEN T.,
IL MERCATO DELLE REGOLE, VOL. I: I FONDAMENTI.
OPPURE:
SHAVELL S.M., FONDAMENTI DI ANALISI ECONOMICA DEL DIRITTO, GIAPPICHELLI, TORINO,
2005.