Obesity levels in England are significantly higher than in much of the rest of Europe. This article examines aspects of the physical and cultural context of food consumption in England, and the evolution of government policy on obesity, as a background to an analysis of how law might play a role in obesity prevention. Research suggests that individual food choices are associated with cultural a...

According to the economic theory of patents, patents are needed so that pioneer firm have time to recoup their sunk costs of research and development. The key element in the economic theory is that pioneer firms have large, hard to recoup, sunk costs. Yet patents are not awarded on the basis of a firm’s sunk costs. Patent law, in fact, ignores costs. The disconnect between patent law and patent...

HE U.S. Congress has recently passed historic legislation that revises the fundamental structure of U.S. income tax law. Promoters of this legislation hope that the new tax system will encourage more productive use of economic resources and faster economic growth. Economists disagree very little about the general objectives of tax refor-m. The new law, however, has drawn significant criticism, ...

HE U.S. Congress has recently passed historic legislation that revises the fundamental structure of U.S. income tax law. Promoters of this legislation hope that the new tax system will encourage more productive use of economic resources and faster economic growth. Economists disagree very little about the general objectives of tax refor-m. The new law, however, has drawn significant criticism, ...