Bücher der Reihe Oxford Socio-Legal Studies

Twenty per cent of all the people in the world live under Islamic law. Going beyond steroetypes of rigid doctrine punishment the author explores the connections between everyday social life and contemporary Muslim ideas of justice and reason. Islamic law is thus seen as a kind of common law system closely attached to the cultural history of its adherents.

The Dutch penal system has long been held up to the world as a model of enlightenment. This study subjects the Dutch system to rigorous examination, and compares it to the penal systems currently operating in England and Wales.

This collection of essays by a leading legal theorist seeks to re-locate the relationship between the traditional concerns of legal theory and the sociology of law, by establishing a consistent theoretical approach to the analysis of law in contemporary Western societies.

An exploration of the relationship between law and society. Generally understood to be a mirror of society, a reflection of its customs and morals, the law maintains social order. Focusing on this common understanding, the book conducts a survey of social and legal theories.

This edition constructs the foundations for an approach to the social scientific study of law. It analyses the major schools of socio-legal theory and articulates a 'social theory of law' that is illustrated through examples taken from judicial decision- making. It combines social science with legal theory.

Discretion is a matter of scholarly interest for both lawyers and social scientists. This work uses contributions from both fields to explore some of the central issues involved of discretion by legal actors - those making decisions in the exercise of an authority conferred on them by law.

In almost all legal disputing, formalities are employed as a last resort. This book presents a new theory of decision-making, exploring the conditions under which prosecution is employed to handle troublesome occupational health and safety problems. This book is for those interested in law, regulation, socio-legal studies, criminal justice, sociology, and political science.

In this volume, Niklas Luhmann, the leading exponent of systems theory, explores its implications for our understanding of law. The volume provides a rigorous application to law of a theory that offers profound insights into the relationships between law and other aspects of contemporary society, including politics, the economy, the media, education, and religion.