Law is the set of rules that a community recognises as regulating its members. A major subject in higher education, it encompasses everything from criminal and contract law to family and labour law, human rights and international law. It also includes the broader study of the legal system – the structures, institutions and organisation of the law.
Oxford Reference offers more than 34,000 concise definitions and in-depth, specialist encyclopedic entries across this broad discipline. The collection is designed for researchers at all levels and provides accessible information on the laws of a country or community, from their history to their current operation. It also covers key debates in legal theory and the wider context of the development of law.
People have many different ideas and definitions of what law is. But a common theme emerging from books and debates is that it is a set of rules created by a state which form a framework to ensure a peaceful society and that these can be enforced through mechanisms with the threat of sanctions if broken.
This concept of law has many practical applications. For example, contracts law regulates agreements to exchange goods and services. Property law determines the ownership and duties towards tangible property (such as land and buildings) and intangible property (such as shares in a company). Labour law governs tripartite industrial relations between workers, employers and trade unions. Tort law seeks compensation if someone or their property is injured. And civil and criminal law deals with disputes between citizens, or with the state itself.