In “The Limits of International Law” (Oxford University Press, 2005), Professor Jack L. Goldsmith and Eric A. Posner ’91 argue that international law is less powerful than many experts believe. They show how international legal rules are often devised by the most powerful states to facilitate the advancement of their own interests, yet without mechanisms for bringing violators into compliance. The authors ultimately question whether international law can be effective in the resolution of the most pressing global problems.
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Professor Emeritus Charles M. Haar ’48 was appointed in 1983 by Judge Paul Garrity LL.M. ’71 to develop a plan to clean up Boston Harbor. His book “Mastering Boston Harbor: Courts, Dolphins, & Imperiled Waters” (Harvard University Press, 2005) gives an insider’s account of the political and legal process that led to today’s cleaner waters.
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“Environmental Protection and the Social Responsibility of Firms: Perspectives from Law, Economics, and Business” (Resources for the Future, 2005), co-edited by Professor Bruce L. Hay ’88, asks what responsibility corporations have to protect the environment, beyond obeying the law. Do they have a responsibility to commit resources voluntarily to environmental protection? Should they sacrifice profits for the sake of social responsibility, and if so, how can that sacrifice be squared with their fiduciary obligations to their shareholders? Contributors include Professors Einer R. Elhauge ’86 and Mark J. Roe ’75.
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“Capital Adequacy beyond Basel: Banking, Securities, and Insurance,” edited by Professor Hal S. Scott (Oxford University Press, 2005), covers issues at stake in capital requirements for insurance and securities firms. The contributors analyze the use of subordinated debt, internal models and rating agencies, and they examine the effects on capital of reinsurance, securitization, credit derivatives and other instruments.
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In “All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan” (Simon & Schuster, 2005), Professor Elizabeth Warren and her daughter, Amelia Warren Tyagi, describe how to get out of debt, cover the bills, and start saving.
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In “Legal Reason: The Use of Analogy in Legal Argument” (Cambridge University Press, 2005), Professor Lloyd L. Weinreb ’62 stands up for analogical reasoning in the law, defending it against recent criticisms that it is defective as a form of deductive reasoning.