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Full-Text Articles in Law

Non-Recourse Mortages – A Fresh Start, Ron Harris, Asher Meir Feb 2012

Non-Recourse Mortages – A Fresh Start, Ron Harris, Asher Meir

Ron Harris

In about a quarter of US states, all residential mortgages are essentially non-recourse, meaning that in case of default, the lender can only repossess the house but cannot collect on the private assets and future income of the borrower. This American innovation is now beginning to attract extensive interest abroad, but ironically in the US itself is getting a bad name. The law has been blamed for exacerbating the financial crisis, while stricken homeowners who take advantage of it have been scolded by lenders and even by the Secretary of the Treasury. We propose a fresh and more balanced look …


Some Reflections On The Transplantation Of British Company Law In Post Ottoman Palestine, Ron Harris, Michael Crystal Jan 2008

Some Reflections On The Transplantation Of British Company Law In Post Ottoman Palestine, Ron Harris, Michael Crystal

Ron Harris

Company law is considered as a prime field for legal transplantation. Conventional wisdom is that company legislation in Palestine during the majority of the British Mandate was based on the simple importation of the English Companies Act 1929. Reliance is placed on the facts that the Palestine Companies Ordinance was enacted in the same year as the English Companies Act 1929, that the British Empire gave priority to commercial law transplantation and that the Palestine Companies Ordinance was the first in several commercial Ordinances that were considered as the climax of the legislative anglicization of Ottoman law in Mandatory Palestine. …


The Institutional Dynamics Of Early Modern Eurasian Trade: The Commenda And The Corporation, Ron Harris Dec 2007

The Institutional Dynamics Of Early Modern Eurasian Trade: The Commenda And The Corporation, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

The focus of this article is on legal-economic institutions that organized early-modern Eurasian trade. It identifies two such institutions that had divergent dispersion patterns, the corporation and the commenda. The corporation ended up as a uniquely European institution that did not migrate until the era of European colonization. The commenda that originated in Arabia migrated all the way to Western Europe and to China. The article explains their divergent dispersion based on differences in their institutional and geographical environments and on dynamic factors. It claims that institutional analysis errs when it ignores migration of institutions. It provides building blocks for …


Putting The Corporation In Its Place, Ron Harris, Timothy Guinnane, Naomi R. Lamoreaux, Jean-Laurent Rosenthal Sep 2007

Putting The Corporation In Its Place, Ron Harris, Timothy Guinnane, Naomi R. Lamoreaux, Jean-Laurent Rosenthal

Ron Harris

This article challenges the idea that the corporation is a globally superior form of business organization and that the Anglo-American common-law is more conducive to economic development than the code-based legal systems characteristic of continental Europe. Although the corporation had important advantages over the main alternative form of organization (partnerships), it also had disadvantages that limited its appeal to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As a result, when businesses were provided with an intermediate choice, the private limited liability company (PLLC) that combined the advantages of legal personhood and joint stock with a flexible internal organizational structure, most chose not …


Legal Reform And The English Industrial Revolution (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2007

Legal Reform And The English Industrial Revolution (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

בשילוב מיוחד במינו של כלים הלקוחים מתחומי הכלכלה, המשפט וההיסטוריוגרפיה, בוחן רון חריס את אחת התמורות המרכזיות בתולדות המערב — המהפכה התעשייתית — ומציג תמיהה שהתעוררה בקרב חוקרים בעשורים האחרונים. דומה לכאורה, כי על אף ההתפתחויות הדרמטיות בייצור ובארגון של התעשייה והמסחר באנגליה בשלהי המאה השמונה-עשרה, לא חלו בהתאמה שינויים בחוקים הרלבנטיים ביותר להתפתחויות אלו, החוקים המסדירים את אופן הארגון של עסקים. אולם, לטענת המחבר, החוקרים שבחנו סוגיה זו חיפשו את השינויים בחוק האנגלי במקומות הלא-נכונים. התשובה לתעלומה מסתתרת לא בחקיקה של הפרלמנט ובכתיבה של בכירי המשפטנים, אלא בחקיקה ובפסיקה "מלמטה" — בדרכים שבהן הצליחו יזמים ועורכי-דין ליצור ארגונים עסקיים …


The Spread Of Law Into The Public Sphere In The Third Decade (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2007

The Spread Of Law Into The Public Sphere In The Third Decade (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Bankruptcy Policy In Light Of Manipulation In Credit Advertising, Ron Harris, Einat Albin Jan 2006

Bankruptcy Policy In Light Of Manipulation In Credit Advertising, Ron Harris, Einat Albin

Ron Harris

This Article argues that when credit suppliers market and advertise their credit products, they utilize and enhance consumers’ cognitive biases, particularly their optimism bias and illusion of control. We apply the concept of manipulation to this practice. The biased and manipulated debtors attribute unrealistically low probability to negative life events, such as job loss, illness, accident or divorce, and high probability to positive life events. As a result of the manipulation, the biased debtors are triggered to borrow more than they would have borrowed otherwise. This additional borrowing may contribute to the default of these debtors and to their eventual …


The English East India Company And The History Of Company Law, Ron Harris Jan 2005

The English East India Company And The History Of Company Law, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Roundtable: Israeli Constitutionalism, Ron Harris Jan 2005

Roundtable: Israeli Constitutionalism, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Government And The Economy, 1688 - 1850, Ron Harris Jan 2004

Government And The Economy, 1688 - 1850, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


The Uses Of History In Law And Economics, Ron Harris Jan 2003

The Uses Of History In Law And Economics, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

During the last quarter of the twentieth century, the humanities and social sciences have turned toward history, something that culminated in the 1990s, and this phenomenon was evident in law as well. However, until recently, law and economics, the most influential post-World War II jurisprudential movement, was historical in its methodology and research agenda. The first objective of this article is to call attention to this neglected characteristic of law and economics and to explain its causes by analyzing its intellectual origins, its methodological causes, and the nature of its interaction with other sub-fields of law and of economics. The …


The Bubble Act Of 1720, Ron Harris Jan 2003

The Bubble Act Of 1720, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Israeli Legal History: Past And Present, Ron Harris, Alexandre (Sandy) Kedar, Pnina Lahav, Asaf Likhovski Jan 2002

Israeli Legal History: Past And Present, Ron Harris, Alexandre (Sandy) Kedar, Pnina Lahav, Asaf Likhovski

Ron Harris

עוד שבתחומי חיים אחרים - בטחוניים, מדיניים, כלכליים, התיישבותיים וחברתיים - הקים היישוב היהודי בתקופת המנדט תשתית יישובית ניכרת, לקראת הרגע של הקמת המדינה, הרי שעיקר הקיים בתחום המשפטי היה מדינתי-בריטי ולא קהילתי-יהודי. אמנם התקיימו בתקופה זו מערכת משפט דתית-רבנית, "משפט שלום" עברי-לאומי וולונטרי ו"משפט חברים" הסתדרותי, אך אלו לא אומצו על-ידי הזרמים הדומיננטיים בהנהגה היישובית הציונית ולא היוו בסיס למשפט המדינה העתידה. יום העצמאות, ה' באייר תש"ח, מצא אפוא את היישוב היהודי בארץ-ישראל ללא הצעת חוקה מוסכמת, ללא נוסחי חוקים או קודים הממתינים למימוש, ללא מוסדות משפטיים משל עצמו, עם מסגרת חוקתית וחקיקתית קולוניאלית, עם בתי-משפט מנדטוריים שחדלו לתפקד; …


Legitimizing The Imprisonment Of Poor Debtors: Lawyers, Legislators, Judges, Ron Harris Jan 2002

Legitimizing The Imprisonment Of Poor Debtors: Lawyers, Legislators, Judges, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

This path-breaking collection of essays on the history of Israel from a legal perspective, brings together the work of many distinguished Israeli legal historians. It focuses primarily on the impact of colonialism, nationalism and socialism on the law of Palestine and Israel between 1917 and 1967 and the topics examined in detail include: the role of law in the shaping of mandatory society, law and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli courts, the holocaust and the interaction of law and class in mandatory Palestine and Israel. The book also contains important historiographical essays by leading American legal historians, who offer reflections on …


Between Law And History: On The Historiography Of Israeli Law (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2002

Between Law And History: On The Historiography Of Israeli Law (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Absent Minded Misses And Historical Opportunities: Jewish Law, Israeli Law And The Establishment Of The State Of Israel (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2002

Absent Minded Misses And Historical Opportunities: Jewish Law, Israeli Law And The Establishment Of The State Of Israel (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Haim Zadok: Minister Of Justice, Legislator And Jurist (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2002

Haim Zadok: Minister Of Justice, Legislator And Jurist (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Israeli Legal History: Past And Present, Ron Harris, Alexandre (Sandy) Kedar, Pnina Lahav, Assaf Likhovski Jan 2002

Israeli Legal History: Past And Present, Ron Harris, Alexandre (Sandy) Kedar, Pnina Lahav, Assaf Likhovski

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Arab Politics In A Jewish State: El - Ard Movement And The Supreme Court (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2001

Arab Politics In A Jewish State: El - Ard Movement And The Supreme Court (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Rethinking The Rationale For Teaching Comparative Law In Israel (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2001

Rethinking The Rationale For Teaching Comparative Law In Israel (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

מדוע יש ללמד תלמידי משפטים משפט השוואתי? תשובות סטנדרטיות אחדות מוצעות באופן מסורתי לשאלה זו, ואציג שלוש מהן. ראשית, ההשוואה מרתיבה אופקים, במובן זה שהיא מציעה לבעיה משפטית נתונה פתרונות נוספים שלא היינו מודעים להם כל עוד הוגבלו אופקינו לשיטתנו. במסע השוואתי ניתקל בפתרונות נוספים לבעיה נתונה לזה שבשיטתנו, נוכל להעמיד פתרונות אלה לצד הפתרון הנוהג בשיטתנו, ולבחון את היתרונות וההסרונות היחסיים של כל פתרון לשם שיפור הדין שלנו. גם אם תלמידת המשפטים אינה יכולה לשפר את הפסיקה בפועל, שכן אינה שופטת או מחוקקת, היא תלמד לחשוב לא רק על הדין המצוי, אלא גם על זה הרצוי, ותוכל ליישם צורת …


The Law As Reflecting And Transforming In The Second Decade (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2000

The Law As Reflecting And Transforming In The Second Decade (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


From Imprisonment To Discharge: Setting An Agenda For Reforms In Debtor – Creditor Law (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 2000

From Imprisonment To Discharge: Setting An Agenda For Reforms In Debtor – Creditor Law (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Why Wasn't Imprisonment For Debt Abolished During The Era Of Domination Of The Labor Movement? (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 1999

Why Wasn't Imprisonment For Debt Abolished During The Era Of Domination Of The Labor Movement? (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


"El Karbuteli V. The Minister Of Defense In Its Historical Context"(In Hebrew) In The Courts Of Law, Fifty Years Of Adjudication In Israel, Ron Harris Jan 1999

"El Karbuteli V. The Minister Of Defense In Its Historical Context"(In Hebrew) In The Courts Of Law, Fifty Years Of Adjudication In Israel, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Political Economy, Interest Groups, Legal Institutions And The Repeal Of The Bubble Act In 1825, Ron Harris Jan 1997

Political Economy, Interest Groups, Legal Institutions And The Repeal Of The Bubble Act In 1825, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

For 105 years, beginning with the enactment of the Bubble Act in 1720, the free and spontaneous formation of joint-stock companies in England was prohibited. The only legal course of action opened to entrepreneurs seeking company formation was to first obtain specific state authorization, in the form of a charter or an act. During this period the English economy experienced unprecedented growth and substantial structural changes, which many still refer to as the industrial revolution. This legal framework of business organization seems to have formed a constraint upon the economy, inducing entrepreneurs to organize, willingly or reluctantly, in family firms, …


Political Economy, Interest Groups, Legal Institutions And The Repeal Of The Bubble Act In 1825, Ron Harris Jan 1997

Political Economy, Interest Groups, Legal Institutions And The Repeal Of The Bubble Act In 1825, Ron Harris

Ron Harris

This article argues that the repeal of the Bubble Act not only ushers in a crucial period in the development of the British capital markets and of the legal homework of business organization, but is also illuminating for those interested in the more general economic, political, legal, and even social aspects of the era. It argues, further, that neither the Diceyan paradigm nor a more elaborate public benefit paradigm can alone satisfactorily explain the repeal. Only by integrating the working of interest groups and of judicial culture and institutions can a more viable explanation be provided for the repeal of …


Israeli Law, The Formative Years 1948-1958 (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 1997

Israeli Law, The Formative Years 1948-1958 (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


The Fall And Rise Of Imprisonment For Debt (In Hebrew), Ron Harris Jan 1996

The Fall And Rise Of Imprisonment For Debt (In Hebrew), Ron Harris

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Anatomy Of Discourse And Dissent In Israel’S Supreme Court (In Hebrew), Ron Harris, Yoram Shachar, Meron Gross Jan 1996

Anatomy Of Discourse And Dissent In Israel’S Supreme Court (In Hebrew), Ron Harris, Yoram Shachar, Meron Gross

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.


Citation Practices Of Israel's Supreme Court: Quantitative Analysis (In Hebrew), Ron Harris, Yoram Shachar, Meron Gross Jan 1996

Citation Practices Of Israel's Supreme Court: Quantitative Analysis (In Hebrew), Ron Harris, Yoram Shachar, Meron Gross

Ron Harris

No abstract provided.