Instructor(s): Hamish Stewart

In 1926, J.M. Keynes wrote that the political problem of his time was “to combine three things: Economic Efficiency, Social Justice, and Individual Liberty.” This course will explore the question of what, if anything, law has to do with Keynes’s problem. To that end, the course will explore the connections between different understandings of law, different conceptions of justice, and different modes of economic ordering. Is there an inherent connection between legal ordering and any particular conception of justice, or between legal ordering and specific modes of economic ordering; or, on the other hand, can law serve any conception of justice or any type of economic system? Readings may include texts by (among others) Anderson, Berman, Engels, Hayek, Kornai, Luxemburg, Marx, McCloskey, Nussbaum, Polanyi, Raz, Ripstein, Rothschild, Sen, and Weinrib.

Evaluation
Will be based on five (5) reaction papers each 300 to 500 words in length (5% each, total 25%); class participation (10%), a mid-term quiz written in class (30%); and a 1.5 hour, open-book final examination (35%). During the quizzes and the open-book final examination, students will be permitted to refer to the course materials and to any summaries that they have prepared themselves. A limited number of students will be permitted to write a SUYRP (minimum 7500 words, excluding the bibliography) in place of the final examination.
Academic year
2025 - 2026

At a Glance

First Term
Credits
3
Hours
2
SUYRP

Enrolment

Maximum
25

22 JD
3 LLM/SJD/MSL/SJD U

Schedule

T: 4:10 - 6:00 pm