Inside Post-Socialist Courts

Well-functioning courts are central to the performance of the capitalist market system. Yet due to the general scarcity of data, little is known about what takes place inside courts in post-socialist and developing countries. Taking steps toward filling this gap, Peter Grajzl`s research draws on data from his native Slovenia to study the decision-making in courts, the incentives of judges and the implications for legal reform.

While visiting CESifo from June 2 to June 15, Mr Grajzl will continue his work on a recently begun project in which he and his collaborators examine the determinants of adjudicatory outcomes in commercial claims filed at Slovenian courts. This research aims to address the following questions of long-time interest to scholars of law and economics: How do disputing parties’ characteristics, legal representation and case specifics predict success at trial? When are disputing parties more likely to settle rather than pursue trial? Does the specific venue of adjudication matter for outcomes?

Mr Grajzl’s research interests lie in the economics of institutions and governance, law and economics and political economy. His recent work studies institutional and financial development on American Indian reservations; the interaction of legal rules and competition policy when firms are bound by a common industry reputation; the impact of information sharing on bank lending in transition economies; and harmonisation as a governance response to coordination problems in social groups and in international policy-making.

Peter Grajzl is Associate Professor of Economics at Washington and Lee University where he has taught since 2009. He received his PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2005 and was an assistant professor at the Central European University from 2005 to 2009.