About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

47 Eur. J.L. & Econ. 1 (2019)

handle is hein.journals/eurjlwec47 and id is 1 raw text is: European Journal of Law and Economics (2019) 47:1-14
https:Ildoi.org/l 0.1007/s10657-018-9604-9
CrossMark
Common law efficiency when joinder and class actions fail
as aggregation devices
Frank Fagan'  Urmee Khan2
Published online: 9 November 2018
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract
We develop a litigant-based model of rule selection where parties choose to litigate
rules that are efficient between two parties, but inefficient as between a potential
class or potentially joined litigants and a counter-party. Collective action prob-
lems lead to incomplete party formation, which generates continuous litigation of
seemingly efficient rules. By accounting for externalities borne by non-parties, we
show that rules which are allocatively efficient across both parties and non-parties
are evolutionary stable for any given judicial ideology or judicial preference for
prestige, thus preserving the explanatory power of the Efficiency of Common Law
Hypothesis.
Keywords Efficient common law hypothesis - Joinder - Class actions - Baconian
judges
JEL classifications K13 - K15 - K41
1 Introduction
Over the past few decades, the Efficiency of Common Law Hypothesis has failed to
withstand empirical verification. Leading empirical work in tort law, especially with
respect to the economic loss rule, has demonstrated apparent inefficiencies within
the common law. Recognition of an observed tendency toward redistribution, even
E Frank Fagan
frank.fagan@edhec.edu
EDHEC Business School, Lille, France
2  University of California, Riverside, USA

I_) Springer

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most