Ken Oliphant – författare

This large-scale comparative study analyses the two principal mechanisms employed in modern legal systems to deal with the social problem of occupational illness and injury, namely, employers'' liability and workers'' compensation. It provides a detailed description of the systems in operation in twelve countries around the world, investigating the complex legal structures and the interaction with other social institutions, as well as their inter-jurisdictional coordination through private international law. Current international trends are identified and assessed and the fundamental political issues highlighted and explored. The study''s ultimate goals are not only descriptive but also to answer the question of how compensation and liability systems can best be adapted to meet society''s needs in the 21st century.

The countries covered are: Australia (Mark Lunney), Austria (Ernst Karner/Felix Kernbichler), Denmark (Vibe Ulfbeck), England and Wales (Richard Lewis), France (Florence G''Sell/Isabelle Veillard), Germany (Raimund Waltermann), Italy (Alessandro P Scarso/Massimo Foglia), Japan (Keizo Yamamoto/Tomohiro Yoshimasa), the Netherlands (Siewert D Lindenbergh), Poland (Domenika Dörre-Nowak), Romania (Christian Alunaru/Lucian Bojin) and the United States of America (Michael D Green/Daniel S Murdock).

The book is completed by three concluding essays that address general themes:

The papers in this collection are drawn from a symposium held in Vienna in December 2010. Organised by the Institute for European Tort Law and the Chicago-Kent Law Review, in collaboration with the European Centre of Tort and Insurance Law, the conference drew together legal experts from 14 national or regional systems across six continents. Medical malpractice and compensation for medical injuries are issues which regularly create tension and innovation in national legal systems but the analysis of these areas is often limited to national audiences. This study examines the issues in a uniquely global context, demonstrating the breadth of approaches currently taken around the world and revealing key areas of tension and the likely direction of future developments. Wherever possible, the analysis is supported by reference to empirical data. The 14 legal systems covered in the collection are Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Scandinavia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. A general comparative introduction completes the collection.

The various national European legal systems offer a broad range of responses to the question of what can be regarded as wrongful behaviour or fault. The present work systematically examines these two important prerequisites for tortious liability under the combined heading of ‘misconduct’. Unlike current textbooks, national casebooks and monographs, it builds on the experiences gathered in the national legal systems over the past decades and thereby fills a major gap which still exists today. It thus does what the previous volumes in the ‘Digest of European Tort Law’ series did for other key elements of tort law, namely natural causation and damage. Once again, the publication contains a selection of the most important cases from 28 states across Europe as well as cases handed down by European Union courts; it also highlights cases from earlier periods of legal history. For each case, the facts and the relevant court decision are presented and these are then accompanied by an analytical commentary. In addition, the editors provide comparative analyses of the cases reported and a special report is dedicated to how key decisions would be resolved under model European rules on tort law.

The editors believe that the material gathered here may provide guidance for an organic convergence of the national legal systems in Europe. It constitutes the basis of an acquis commun that is infinitely richer (though also much more complex) than the rather bland and abstract concepts contained in national codifications, European legislation and modern model rules.

Where products develop ever more rapidly, the law may face difficulties in responding accordingly to new security threats which may arise. In the field of product liability, an extraordinary need for legal development has thus been perceived, with legislators and judges feeling compelled to find new solutions and to look across borders for these. In the detailed reports in this book, the World Tort Law Society proves that it is in an ideal position to examine the most significant concepts. The report on North America studies the special regime for product liability from its origin in the case law of the US; the European report is centred around the EU Product Liability Directive with its merits and faults; and the influence of these two systems as well as new answers are shown in the reports on Asia, Russia and four key jurisdictions in the rest of the world. Similar questions are discussed worldwide: How can a strict liability regime for products be justified, and can it be justified in all cases? How does the special regime relate to general rules of tort law? Should services be subject to a similar regime? The Members of the Society seek to provoke thought for solutions to these pervasive problems. In this spirit, the volume’s comparative conclusions invite discussion, and the book includes four responses to that call from eminent tort lawyers from different legal backgrounds.

Where products develop ever more rapidly, the law may face difficulties in responding accordingly to new security threats which may arise. In the field of product liability, an extraordinary need for legal development has thus been perceived, with legislators and judges feeling compelled to find new solutions and to look across borders for these. In the detailed reports in this book, the World Tort Law Society proves that it is in an ideal position to examine the most significant concepts. The report on North America studies the special regime for product liability from its origin in the case law of the US; the European report is centred around the EU Product Liability Directive with its merits and faults; and the influence of these two systems as well as new answers are shown in the reports on Asia, Russia and four key jurisdictions in the rest of the world. Similar questions are discussed worldwide: How can a strict liability regime for products be justified, and can it be justified in all cases? How does the special regime relate to general rules of tort law? Should services be subject to a similar regime? The Members of the Society seek to provoke thought for solutions to these pervasive problems. In this spirit, the volume’s comparative conclusions invite discussion, and the book includes four responses to that call from eminent tort lawyers from different legal backgrounds.