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Harmonization of Tort Law in Europe

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Abstract

The aim of the entry is to provide an overview of the projects regarding harmonization of European tort laws and the costs and benefits associated with them. To this purpose, the entry critically examines the arguments for and against tort law harmonization in Europe and investigates the assumptions and approaches underlying the many institutional and academic initiatives in the field. The entry tentatively draws some conclusions about the short- and long-term prospects of European tort law harmonization.

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Bussani, M., Infantino, M. (2019). Harmonization of Tort Law in Europe. In: Marciano, A., Ramello, G.B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Law and Economics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7753-2_530

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