The Economics of Courts and Litigation

Francisco Cabrillo Rodríguez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Sean Fitzpatrick, Consejo Económico y Social de la Comunidad de Madrid

Abstract

This book responds to worldwide dissatisfaction with the working of courts. Delays in the resolution of cases have been found to be both costly and inefficient for a modern economy. Some international institutions however, such as the World Bank, are spending a substantial amount of money on programs of reform of courts. The authors present an economic analysis of courts and litigation, that focuses on the countries of the civil law tradition and stresses the differences and similarities between the American and the continental European court systems.