Acclaim for the first edition: Backhaus s book is a good companion. Pablo Salvador Coderch, Indret A most valuable collection of papers serving to provide the reader both with an overview of some key areas in law and economics and with a biographical introduction to the work of some important, if also neglected, sources of scholarship in the discipline. Anthony I. Ogus, CBE, University of Manchester, UK This thoroughly updated and revised edition of a popular and authoritative reference work introduces the reader to the major concepts and leading contributors in the field of law and economics. The Companion features accessible, informative and provocative entries on all the significant issues, and breaks new ground by bringing together widely dispersed yet theoretically congruent ideas. Following a comprehensive introduction by the editor, the renowned contributors look in detail at several critical areas including: fundamentals of the law and economics approach private law and economics public law and economics labour law and economics regulation, taxation and public enterprise dispute resolution different sources of the law economic analysis of a legal problem classical authors in law and economics. Students and scholars interested in a comprehensive and rigorous overview of the field of law and economics will find this volume to be a unique and welcome resource. The Companion will also have a broad appeal amongst industrial economists and historians of economic thought.

Many know the Chicago School of Economics and its association with Milton Friedman, George Stigler, Ronald Coase and Gary Becker. But few know the School's history and the full scope of its scholarship. In this Companion, leading scholars examine its history and key figures, as well as provide surveys of the School's contributions to central aspects of economics, including: price theory, monetary theory, labor and economic history. The volume examines the School's traditions of applied welfare theory and law and economics while providing a glimpse into emerging research on Chicago's role in the development of neoliberalism. A companion in the true sense of the word, this volume surveys a wide body of Chicago economic studies and guides readers carefully through each. The Companion offers biographies of leading Chicago economists and evaluations of the School's connection to approaches to economics that draw from and complement the School, including the Virginia School and the work of Armen Alchian and Edward Lazear. Moreover, this book is a first in many respects as it analyzes the interconnections of the Chicago School's theory, methodology, and policy, and considers by what means and ideas the School's policy framework is driven. The breadth and depth of the insights presented here will appeal especially to students and scholars of economics and historians interested in economics, social science and applied public policy.

'Not too long ago it was possible to be familiar with all of the important works and latest developments in transaction cost economics. That that is no longer the case is a testament to the intellectual appeal and empirical success of the transaction cost approach. for newcomers, the entries in this volume, by some of TCE's most knowledgeable and eloquent contributors, offer an excellent introduction to the issues, methods, discoveries, and debates in the field; for veterans, the volume provides a highly valuable resource for catching up on the newest research.' - Scott E. Masten, University of Michigan School of Business, US

. . . there are many first-rate contributions here. Those contributions make this collection valuable especially to readers who are already knowledgeable about the various areas in which the interests of philosophers and economists overlap. Daniel M. Hausman, Journal of Economic Methodology The Elgar Companion To Economics and Philosophy is a very good read. Every library should buy it now. John King, History of Economics Review The volume collects articles surveying developments in such related fields as economic methodology, ethics, epistemology, and social ontology. Many of the articles are forward-looking, and as such constitute substantive and original (and at times provocative) contributions to the literature. The volume as a whole is a success; the editors are to be congratulated for their efforts. Bruce J. Caldwell, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, US This Companion is called economics and philosophy but actually it is about the philosophy of economics and all the great questions in the subject are here. The weather in the philosophy of economics has been stormy lately and the climate continues to this day to be unsettled. Will the storms soon settle down to give way to calmer days? Read this excellent collection of informative papers in the field to stimulate your own answer to that question. Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK The Elgar Companion to Economics and Philosophy aims to demonstrate exactly how these two important areas have always been linked, and to illustrate the key areas of overlap. The Companion is divided into distinct parts, each of which highlights a leading area of scholarly concern: political economy conceived as social philosophy; the methodology and epistemology of economics; and social ontology and the ontology of economics. The contributors are well-known and distinguished authors from a variety of disciplines, who have been invited both to survey and to provide a personal assessment of current and prospective future states of their respective areas of philosophical interest. Academics and students who have an interest in economics and philosophy, political philosophy and the history of ideas will find this book of great appeal, as will researchers working in the field and readers interested in the nature of the discipline of economics.

Social economics is a dynamic and growing field that emphasizes the key roles social values play in the economy and economic life. This second edition of the Elgar Companion to Social Economics revises all chapters from the first edition, and adds impo

Ronald H. Coase, one of the most innovative and provocative economists of the twentieth century, has had a lasting influence in economics, law and economics, organization theory, management and political science. In this comprehensive Companion, 31 leading economists, social scientists and legal scholars, including two Nobel Laureates, offer the first global assessment of the initial impact of Coase’s work and the continuing inspiration that researchers and policy makers find in his contributions. The book presents a review of the continuing power of Coase’s work, including the reshaping of public policies with particular respect to public utilities and network industries. Further chapters explore research programmes that he initiated including the concept of transaction costs and the analysis of property rights, especially in terms of the regulation of the communications industry and the creation of markets for the right to pollute. The book clearly demonstrates the originality of Coase’s work and the challenge that it posed to conventional perspectives which has been a hallmark of his research throughout his life, from his initial view on the nature of the firm to his recent analysis of the development of capitalism in China. Less well-known features of Coase’s research going beyond his famous papers on ‘The Nature of the Firm’ and ‘The Problem of Social Cost’ are also explored in detail. From economics to public policy, this complete and thorough assessment of Coase’s vast contribution will be an invaluable reference to all those interested in the many areas influenced by this great economist.

Comprehensive reference work introducing readers to the field of feminist economics. It addresses key concepts as well as feminist economic critiques and reconstructions of major economic theories and policy debates.