Legal Adaptability in Elbonia

Abstract

Law has to be able to respond to new or changing circumstances. This adaptability of the law may be more important than details in the law as such. However, its meaning and its significance have not yet been analysed in detail. Thus, legal adaptability will be examined in this article. It looks at the worst case scenario by discussing a fictional country (Elbonia) where legal adaptability is poor, and identifies the main adaptability criteria. By using empirical data from the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), it also provides an example of how to ascertain the degree of legal adaptability of particular countries.

Keywords: Legal adaptability, legal evolution, legal change, law and society, law and finance, law and development, legal innovation, path dependence, legal origin, Elbonia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

JEL Classification: H11, I28, K00, K20, K41, K42, O10, O52, P16, P50