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Legal adaptability in Elbonia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2007

Mathias M. Siems
Mathias M. Siems*
Affiliation:
Research Associate, Reader in Commercial Law, School of Law, University of Edinburgh Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge
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Abstract

Law has to be able to respond to new or changing circumstances. This ‘legal adaptability’ may be more important than details in the ‘law as such’. However, its meaning and its significance have not yet been analysed in detail. Thus, legal adaptability will be examined in this article. It looks at the worst case scenario by discussing a fictional country (Elbonia) where legal adaptability is poor, and identifies the main adaptability criteria. By using empirical data from the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), it also provides an example of how to ascertain the degree of legal adaptability of particular countries.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Law in Context , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , December 2006 , pp. 393 - 408
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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