Book Review: Economic Foundations of International Law by Eric A. Posner and Alan O. Sykes (2013)

(2013) 43(2) Hong Kong Law Journal 773-89

16 Pages Posted: 30 Sep 2013

See all articles by Shen Wei

Shen Wei

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Law School

Date Written: September 28, 2013

Abstract

There are various ways of understanding, interpreting and theorising international law. For instance, Kelsen founded a method of jurisprudence that was critical of ideology, the socalled “pure theory of law”. This is a method allowing jurists to engage with law as a subject of study in a non-political and purely “scientific” manner. As a result, international law could be regarded as a single and self-entailing system. Lasswell and McDougal developed a sociological approach to integrate the conceptualising of international society and law into the conceptualising of social process in general. Allott tried a pure jurisprudential and philosophical way of remoulding international law in a new global order. This article reviews Posner and Sykes' new book: Economic Foundations of International Law, and tries to understand whether a law and economics approach makes sense in understanding international law.

Keywords: international law, economic analysis

Suggested Citation

Wei, Shen, Book Review: Economic Foundations of International Law by Eric A. Posner and Alan O. Sykes (2013) (September 28, 2013). (2013) 43(2) Hong Kong Law Journal 773-89, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2332969 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2332969

Shen Wei (Contact Author)

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Law School ( email )

No.1954 Huashan Road
Shanghai, Shandong 200030
China

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