Law is the system of rules and principles that a nation or community recognizes as regulating its members’ actions. Oxford Reference offers authoritative, accessible coverage of this vast subject, from legal practice and procedure to international and domestic law, family law, constitutional law, and major debates in legal theory.
Law has many purposes, but the four principal ones are establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving conflict, and protecting liberties and rights. A good law must be able to do all of these and be transparent and accountable. It must be able to be understood by everyone, and it must ensure that people face consequences for their actions regardless of their wealth or status. In addition, it should provide checks on government power and make sure that the transition of power is smooth and unimpeded.
The law is an ancient and complex phenomenon, and a great deal of effort has gone into developing theories about it. Hans Kelsen, for example, developed his “pure theory of law”: he stated that the law is a normative science, and that its true nature is that it defines certain rules to be followed. This definition of the law has become very popular and influential in the legal world, especially in the United States.
Almost every aspect of modern life is governed by the law. For example, banking laws regulate the amount of capital a bank must hold, and they set minimum and best practices for investment. These laws insure against economic crises like the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Private corporations now perform many of the services that were once managed by government, and they are bound by varying degrees of social responsibility. They must comply with tax and employment laws, as well as other laws governing their operations.
Law is also an important vehicle for social change. In the case of countries with democratic governments, the law serves to protect minorities against the majority and to ensure that a country’s history and culture is not discarded through a sweeping change in policy. But even in nations with authoritarian governments, the law can serve to maintain peace and preserve the status quo while at the same time keeping oppressive practices under control.
The law has a vast range of applications, and it is not easy to write about. But anyone with the proper research skills, a pragmatic mindset and the will to explore issues systematically can write about law. This article will focus on some of the deeper dimensions of law – the way in which it is created and implemented, and how it can be improved. It will look at the ways in which the law interacts with different political structures, and how it relates to social justice and other social issues. It will also examine some of the specific aspects of the law that are most important to citizens. These include constitutional law; criminal law; family law; property law; contract law; and commercial law.