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Commodification And Contract Formation: Placing The Consideration Doctrine On Stronger Foundations
Commodification And Contract Formation: Placing The Consideration Doctrine On Stronger Foundations
David Gamage
Under the traditional consideration doctrine, a promise is only legally enforceable if it is made in exchange for something of value. This doctrine lies at the heart of contract law, yet it lacks a sound theoretical justification – a fact that has confounded generations of scholars and created a mess of case law. This paper argues that the failure of traditional justifications for the doctrine comes from two mistaken assumptions. First, previous scholars have assumed that anyone can back a promise with nominal consideration if they wish to do so. We show how social norms against commodification limit the availability …
On Tax Increase Limitations: Part I - A Costly Incoherence, David Gamage, Darien Shanske
On Tax Increase Limitations: Part I - A Costly Incoherence, David Gamage, Darien Shanske
David Gamage
In this essay, the first of a series, we explore the theoretical implications of one particular type of fiscal limitation on state legislatures - namely, special rules limiting tax increases. In this first essay we will explore the analytic soundness of these tax increase limitations (TILs). In future essays in this series we will analyze some of the consequences of TILs and in particular how they can be 'evaded.' We will argue over the course of this series of essays that because there is no meaningful content to the term 'tax increase' as it is used in TILs, legislative majorities …