Forum Post: Yes Virginia, there is a Law Merchant

Webinar Registration

Wednesday, April 25, 8PM-9PM Eastern/Standard Time

Where? On your Computer

Speaker: Bruce Benson

Topic: Yes Virginia, there is a Law Merchant

Lex Mercatoria, the "Law Merchant," usually refers to the rules and procedures developed within merchant communities to support trade in medieval Europe, without the assistance of government. While a very large literature describes and analyzes Lex Mercatoria, an expanding literature argues that these descriptions are significantly over-romanticized stories, if not outright fabrications. Some of the controversy reflects an apparent lack of familiarity with or misinterpretation of historical context or evidence, but much of the conflict appears to be definitional. This presentation offers a focused examination of key aspects of Lex Mercatoria in an attempt to direct the debate toward actual tenets of and evidence supporting the story.

-- Bruce L. Benson is a Professor of Economics, the DeVoe Moore Professor, Distinguished Research Professor, and Courtesy Professor of Law at Florida State University. Since earning his PhD from Texas A&M University, he has published over 125 academic articles, over 65 chapters to edited volumes, and 4 books (The Enterprise of Law is translated into Spanish), and co-edit another book. He has recently been a Fulbright Senior Specialist in the Czech Republic, Visiting Professor at the University de Paris Pantheon Assas, a Property-and-Environment-Research-Center Julian Simon Fellow, Visiting Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, and Senior Fellow for the Independent Institute.

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/528531810