Pure Economic Loss : New Horizons in Comparative Law

Pure economic loss is one of the most-discussed problems in the fields of tort and contract. How do we understand the various differences and similarities between these systems and what is the extent to which there is a common-core of agreement on this question?

This book takes a comparative approach to the subject, exploring the principles, policies and rules governing tortious liability for pure economic loss in a number of countries and legal systems across the world. The countries covered are USA, Canada, Japan, Israel, South Africa, Japan, Romania, Croatia, Denmark and Poland, with the contributors taking a comparative fact-based approach through the use of hypothetical problems to analyze and then summarize the individual country’s tort approach. Using a fact-based questionnaire, a tested taxonomy, and a sophisticated comparative law methodology, the authors convincingly demonstrate that there are liberal, pragmatic and conservative regimes throughout the world. The recoverability of pure economic loss poses a generic question for these legal systems - it is not just a civil law versus common law issue. It will be of interest to students and academics studying tort law and comparative law in the different countries covered.

Vernon Valentine Palmer is the Thomas Pickles Professor of Law and the Director of the Eason-Weinmann Center of Comparative Law at Tulane University, USA.

Mauro Bussani is Full Professor of Private and Comparative Law at the University of Trieste, Italy, and Regular Visiting Professor at the University of Macau Law School, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China.