Economic value of the judiciary

A pilot study for five countries on volume, value and duration of large commercial cases
Erscheinungsjahr 2021
ISBN: 978-94-6236-209-3
Verlag: eleven

Buch, Dutch, Flemish, Band 15, 122 Seiten, Format (B × H): 165 mm x 240 mm

Reihe: Montaigne reeks

This open access eBook documents an empirical inquiry into the number, value and duration of large commercial court cases in five countries from different parts of Europe: Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway. It is an exploratory study as for each country data had to be extracted from the case registration systems of the courts. The study shows that a substantial part of economic activity is ‘paralyzed’ by disputes that are fought out in the courts. This has broad negative consequences for the countries in question. There are large differences in the number, value (as measured by reference to the claims) and duration of these court cases. All five judiciaries can improve their performance, to a greater or lesser degree, with Italy (volume, duration), Lithuania (volume) and the Netherlands (duration) having much to gain.

The study is of interest for its outcomes, but also from a methodological perspective, as it shows the necessity of taking the diversity of court cases into account and a method to achieve this. While the economic analysis is relatively simple and the analysis is confined to one type of dispute, the outcomes clearly show the importance of the legal/ judicial system for the economy.

 

This is a publication in the series belonging to the Montaigne Centrum voor Rechtsstaat en Rechtspleging, Utrecht University.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Costello, Caroline

van Dijk, Frans

Giorgi, Silvia

Griškevic, Lina

Holm, Frank Egil

Leitão Requena, Diogo

Mathews, Eily

Meilutis, Nerijus

Sicking, Saskia

Storhaug Larssen, Wiggo

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Allgemeines Verfahrens-, Zivilprozess- und Insolvenzrecht Justizverwaltung, Justizorganisation

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 Introduction; 2 Economic literature on courts and economic performance; 3 Existing data on civil litigation; 4 Comparison of volume and value of commercial litigation; 5 Comparison of the costs of high value litigation; 6 Comparison of commercial procedures in detail; 7 Discussion; References; Annex 1 Description of civil procedure in five countries, relevant for the case study; Annex 2 Case descriptions

Über Autor(innen)

The study is a co-operation of the European Network of Councils of the Judiciary and the Montaigne Centre for the Rule of Law and Administration of Justice of Utrecht University, and was co-ordinated by Frans van Dijk, professor of empirical analysis of legal systems.