The expressive powers of law
Subtitle: theories and limits
By: Richard H. McAdams
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 322
ISBN-13: 9780674046924
Subjects: Methodology; Law; Expression; Rhetoric; Language
Description: "When asked why people obey the law, legal scholars usually give two answers. Law deters illicit activities by specifying sanctions, and it possesses legitimate authority in the eyes of society. Richard McAdams shifts the prism on this familiar question to offer another compelling explanation of how the law creates compliance: through its expressive power to coordinate our behavior and inform our beliefs"--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : alternatives to deterrence and legitimacy; title: Expressive claims about law; title: The focal point power of expression; title: Law as focal point; title: Law's focal power in dynamic perspective; title: Legislation as information; title: Revelation of information by legal enforcement; title: The power of arbitral expression; title: Normative implications; title: Conclusion : law's expressive powers.