SUMMARY COMPARATIVE LAW
Inhoudsopgave
1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................... 2
THE CONCEPT OF COMPARATIVE LAW..........................................................................................................................3
THE REASEARCH OBJECT............................................................................................................................................3
what is law?......................................................................................................................................................3
Micro- versus macro-legal compasrison...........................................................................................................8
National versus international............................................................................................................................9
THE RESEARCH METHOD.........................................................................................................................................11
COMPARATIVE LAW VERSUS OTHER DISCIPLINES...........................................................................................................12
Legal history....................................................................................................................................................12
Sociology.........................................................................................................................................................13
Anthropology..................................................................................................................................................14
Legal theory....................................................................................................................................................14
2. ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT................................................................................................................... 16
ANTIQUITY (PRE 500)............................................................................................................................................ 16
FIRST HALF OF THE MIDDLE AGES (500-1000)...........................................................................................................17
SECOND HALF OF THE MIDDLE AGES (1000-1500)......................................................................................................18
General............................................................................................................................................................18
Legal developments........................................................................................................................................19
an example: de deo auctore............................................................................................................................20
NEW AGE (1500-1800)........................................................................................................................................20
18TH CENTURY.......................................................................................................................................................21
Legal evolution................................................................................................................................................21
Sporadic legal comparison..............................................................................................................................22
19TH CENTURY.......................................................................................................................................................23
FROM 1900 ONWARDS..........................................................................................................................................27
THE INTERWAR ERA................................................................................................................................................28
SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY TO TODAY...........................................................................................................29
3. APPLICATIONS.......................................................................................................................................... 31
COMPARATIVE LAW AND INTERNATIONAL (PUBLIC) LAW................................................................................................31
COMPARATIVE LAW AND PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW (PIL)........................................................................................35
COMPARATIVE LAW AND APPLICATION OF FOREIGN LAW...............................................................................................37
COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW........................................................................................................................38
COMPARATIVE LAW AND LAW-MAKING......................................................................................................................42
COMPARATIVE LAW IN LEGISLATION AND CASE LAW.....................................................................................................44
General............................................................................................................................................................44
Examples.........................................................................................................................................................45
RECEPTION AND LEGAL TRANSPLANTS........................................................................................................................48
HARMONISATION AND UNIFICATION..........................................................................................................................51
general............................................................................................................................................................52
pro’s and con’s................................................................................................................................................52
1
, National level..................................................................................................................................................53
International level...........................................................................................................................................57
European Union level......................................................................................................................................58
the role of comparative law in unification (& harmonization).......................................................................59
4. MICRO-(LEGAL) COMPARISON.................................................................................................................. 60
MICRO COMPARISON AS RESEARCH METHOD...............................................................................................................61
the selection of the systems to be compared.................................................................................................61
comparability of law.......................................................................................................................................62
KNOWLEDGE OF FOREIGN LAW/THE FOREIGNER..........................................................................................................69
establish the existing rule...............................................................................................................................69
cardinal rule....................................................................................................................................................72
most common methodological errors.............................................................................................................73
Sources of law.................................................................................................................................................77
THE ACTUAL COMPARISON......................................................................................................................................89
5. MACRO-(LEGAL) COMPARISON................................................................................................................. 91
THE CONCEPT OF MACRO-LEGAL COMPARISON............................................................................................................91
THE UTILITY OF MACRO-LEGAL COMPARISON..............................................................................................................92
BASIC METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEM..........................................................................................................................92
TAXONOMY/TYPOLOGY...........................................................................................................................................94
general............................................................................................................................................................94
criteria for taxonomy......................................................................................................................................96
COMMON LAW VERSUS CIVIL LAW IDEAL TYPE...........................................................................................................104
MIXED LEGAL SYSTEMS, HYBRID SYSTEMS AND LEGAL PLURALISM..................................................................................105
6. LAW AS CULTURE AND DECOLONIALITY.................................................................................................. 108
LAW AS CULTURE.................................................................................................................................................108
Intellectual origins.........................................................................................................................................108
Comparing law as a culture..........................................................................................................................113
DECOLONIALITY...................................................................................................................................................115
7. INTERDISCIPLINARITY............................................................................................................................. 116
LEGAL ALIENATION...............................................................................................................................................117
BOURDIEU’S OF THE LEGAL FIELD............................................................................................................................118
CRITICAL LEGAL STUDIES AND CIVIL LAW...................................................................................................................122
CRITIQUE OF THE CODE.........................................................................................................................................123
LAWYERS IN COMMON LAW VERSUS LAWYERS IN CIVIL LAW.........................................................................................123
8. EXAMPLE OF AN EXAM QUESTION.......................................................................................................... 125
1. INTRODUCTION
2
,In general
- Comparative law involves the study of legal systems by comparing the laws, legal institutions, and
legal concepts across different countries and jurisdictions. The objective is not merely to find
differences or similarities but to gain a deeper understanding of how legal systems function, the
reasoning behind their structures, and the cultural or historical contexts that shape them.
Comparative law has become increasingly important due to globalization, where cross-border legal issues
frequently arise
- Lawyers, scholars, and policymakers use comparative law to:
o Improve national legal systems by learning from other jurisdictions
o Resolve conflicts of laws in international transactions
o Harmonize laws for international treaties and organizations
THE CONCEPT OF COMPARATIVE LAW
Comparison of law/ Legal comparison
- ≠
o Body of law (objective law) or branch of law
It is not a set of rules of legal principles
o Type of claim or specific power (subjective right)
It doesn’t give someone a special claim or legal power
o Way of resolving conflicts compulsorily (functional law)
It is not a method for resolving legal disputes
→ Comparative law ≠ (type of) law
→ Some designations are misleading:
Comparative law
Droit comparé (‘compared law’)
- =
o ‘An intellectual activity with law as its object and comparison as its process’ (ZWEIGERT-KÖTZ)
Comparative law is an academic or research activity that focuses on the study of
different legal systems (the object of research)
o A comparison (= research method) of law (= research object)
Comparative law uses the comparison of different legal systems as its main research
tool
The goal is to understand how different legal systems work by comparing their:
Laws
Principles
Institutions
THE REASEARCH OBJECT
WHAT IS LAW?
3
, KEY QUESTIONS
Importance of the question
- What can/may be compared to give meaningful result?
- What must be included in comparison to give meaningful result?
DEFINING LAW
Hard to define
- Defining ‘law’ is not easy because law means different things to different people and changes over
time
- Over history, many people have tried to explain what law is, but no one has come up with a definition
that everyone agrees on
Law = ‘set of rules ordering society’ = hollow/incomplete description
- The complexity of law requires a deeper understanding of its theoretical foundations
- There are different ways of thinking about law
Comparing law is difficult
- What is considered ‘law’ in one country might not be seen as law in another
o This makes it tricky to define law when looking at different legal traditions around the world
DIFFERENT WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT LAW
Free to choose what law means for you
Law as Sollen (an "ought") vs. law as Sein (a "being"):
- This distinction comes from German philosophy
- Sollen
o Refers to law as something normative, or what "ought to be"
The ideal, what law aims for
o THEORY: natural law theory
Law ought to follow universal moral principles
Law is valid only if they are just and in line with these principles
o Ex. Nazi law is not a law as it goes against the principles of
humanity
= law is what is good
What law is, can be developed through reason
- Sein
o Law as it is in practice, how law functions in reality
A practical, real-world tool
Law in the world of ideas vs. social facts:
- Law in the world of ideas
o Law can be seen as an intellectual construct
o Legal theory
4
Inhoudsopgave
1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................... 2
THE CONCEPT OF COMPARATIVE LAW..........................................................................................................................3
THE REASEARCH OBJECT............................................................................................................................................3
what is law?......................................................................................................................................................3
Micro- versus macro-legal compasrison...........................................................................................................8
National versus international............................................................................................................................9
THE RESEARCH METHOD.........................................................................................................................................11
COMPARATIVE LAW VERSUS OTHER DISCIPLINES...........................................................................................................12
Legal history....................................................................................................................................................12
Sociology.........................................................................................................................................................13
Anthropology..................................................................................................................................................14
Legal theory....................................................................................................................................................14
2. ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT................................................................................................................... 16
ANTIQUITY (PRE 500)............................................................................................................................................ 16
FIRST HALF OF THE MIDDLE AGES (500-1000)...........................................................................................................17
SECOND HALF OF THE MIDDLE AGES (1000-1500)......................................................................................................18
General............................................................................................................................................................18
Legal developments........................................................................................................................................19
an example: de deo auctore............................................................................................................................20
NEW AGE (1500-1800)........................................................................................................................................20
18TH CENTURY.......................................................................................................................................................21
Legal evolution................................................................................................................................................21
Sporadic legal comparison..............................................................................................................................22
19TH CENTURY.......................................................................................................................................................23
FROM 1900 ONWARDS..........................................................................................................................................27
THE INTERWAR ERA................................................................................................................................................28
SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY TO TODAY...........................................................................................................29
3. APPLICATIONS.......................................................................................................................................... 31
COMPARATIVE LAW AND INTERNATIONAL (PUBLIC) LAW................................................................................................31
COMPARATIVE LAW AND PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW (PIL)........................................................................................35
COMPARATIVE LAW AND APPLICATION OF FOREIGN LAW...............................................................................................37
COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW........................................................................................................................38
COMPARATIVE LAW AND LAW-MAKING......................................................................................................................42
COMPARATIVE LAW IN LEGISLATION AND CASE LAW.....................................................................................................44
General............................................................................................................................................................44
Examples.........................................................................................................................................................45
RECEPTION AND LEGAL TRANSPLANTS........................................................................................................................48
HARMONISATION AND UNIFICATION..........................................................................................................................51
general............................................................................................................................................................52
pro’s and con’s................................................................................................................................................52
1
, National level..................................................................................................................................................53
International level...........................................................................................................................................57
European Union level......................................................................................................................................58
the role of comparative law in unification (& harmonization).......................................................................59
4. MICRO-(LEGAL) COMPARISON.................................................................................................................. 60
MICRO COMPARISON AS RESEARCH METHOD...............................................................................................................61
the selection of the systems to be compared.................................................................................................61
comparability of law.......................................................................................................................................62
KNOWLEDGE OF FOREIGN LAW/THE FOREIGNER..........................................................................................................69
establish the existing rule...............................................................................................................................69
cardinal rule....................................................................................................................................................72
most common methodological errors.............................................................................................................73
Sources of law.................................................................................................................................................77
THE ACTUAL COMPARISON......................................................................................................................................89
5. MACRO-(LEGAL) COMPARISON................................................................................................................. 91
THE CONCEPT OF MACRO-LEGAL COMPARISON............................................................................................................91
THE UTILITY OF MACRO-LEGAL COMPARISON..............................................................................................................92
BASIC METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEM..........................................................................................................................92
TAXONOMY/TYPOLOGY...........................................................................................................................................94
general............................................................................................................................................................94
criteria for taxonomy......................................................................................................................................96
COMMON LAW VERSUS CIVIL LAW IDEAL TYPE...........................................................................................................104
MIXED LEGAL SYSTEMS, HYBRID SYSTEMS AND LEGAL PLURALISM..................................................................................105
6. LAW AS CULTURE AND DECOLONIALITY.................................................................................................. 108
LAW AS CULTURE.................................................................................................................................................108
Intellectual origins.........................................................................................................................................108
Comparing law as a culture..........................................................................................................................113
DECOLONIALITY...................................................................................................................................................115
7. INTERDISCIPLINARITY............................................................................................................................. 116
LEGAL ALIENATION...............................................................................................................................................117
BOURDIEU’S OF THE LEGAL FIELD............................................................................................................................118
CRITICAL LEGAL STUDIES AND CIVIL LAW...................................................................................................................122
CRITIQUE OF THE CODE.........................................................................................................................................123
LAWYERS IN COMMON LAW VERSUS LAWYERS IN CIVIL LAW.........................................................................................123
8. EXAMPLE OF AN EXAM QUESTION.......................................................................................................... 125
1. INTRODUCTION
2
,In general
- Comparative law involves the study of legal systems by comparing the laws, legal institutions, and
legal concepts across different countries and jurisdictions. The objective is not merely to find
differences or similarities but to gain a deeper understanding of how legal systems function, the
reasoning behind their structures, and the cultural or historical contexts that shape them.
Comparative law has become increasingly important due to globalization, where cross-border legal issues
frequently arise
- Lawyers, scholars, and policymakers use comparative law to:
o Improve national legal systems by learning from other jurisdictions
o Resolve conflicts of laws in international transactions
o Harmonize laws for international treaties and organizations
THE CONCEPT OF COMPARATIVE LAW
Comparison of law/ Legal comparison
- ≠
o Body of law (objective law) or branch of law
It is not a set of rules of legal principles
o Type of claim or specific power (subjective right)
It doesn’t give someone a special claim or legal power
o Way of resolving conflicts compulsorily (functional law)
It is not a method for resolving legal disputes
→ Comparative law ≠ (type of) law
→ Some designations are misleading:
Comparative law
Droit comparé (‘compared law’)
- =
o ‘An intellectual activity with law as its object and comparison as its process’ (ZWEIGERT-KÖTZ)
Comparative law is an academic or research activity that focuses on the study of
different legal systems (the object of research)
o A comparison (= research method) of law (= research object)
Comparative law uses the comparison of different legal systems as its main research
tool
The goal is to understand how different legal systems work by comparing their:
Laws
Principles
Institutions
THE REASEARCH OBJECT
WHAT IS LAW?
3
, KEY QUESTIONS
Importance of the question
- What can/may be compared to give meaningful result?
- What must be included in comparison to give meaningful result?
DEFINING LAW
Hard to define
- Defining ‘law’ is not easy because law means different things to different people and changes over
time
- Over history, many people have tried to explain what law is, but no one has come up with a definition
that everyone agrees on
Law = ‘set of rules ordering society’ = hollow/incomplete description
- The complexity of law requires a deeper understanding of its theoretical foundations
- There are different ways of thinking about law
Comparing law is difficult
- What is considered ‘law’ in one country might not be seen as law in another
o This makes it tricky to define law when looking at different legal traditions around the world
DIFFERENT WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT LAW
Free to choose what law means for you
Law as Sollen (an "ought") vs. law as Sein (a "being"):
- This distinction comes from German philosophy
- Sollen
o Refers to law as something normative, or what "ought to be"
The ideal, what law aims for
o THEORY: natural law theory
Law ought to follow universal moral principles
Law is valid only if they are just and in line with these principles
o Ex. Nazi law is not a law as it goes against the principles of
humanity
= law is what is good
What law is, can be developed through reason
- Sein
o Law as it is in practice, how law functions in reality
A practical, real-world tool
Law in the world of ideas vs. social facts:
- Law in the world of ideas
o Law can be seen as an intellectual construct
o Legal theory
4
