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Authoritative Labor & Employment Law and Economics Book Co-Edited by USD Law Professor Orly Lobel

SAN DIEGO (October 7, 2009) — The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law announces the release of a new encyclopedia of labor and employment law and economics book compiled and edited by USD School of Law Professor Orly Lobel, Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt of IU Bloomington’s Maurer School of Law, and Seth D. Harris of New York Law School. Published by Edward Elgar and titled Labor and Employment Law and Economics (Encyclopedia of Law and Economics, Second Edition), this 600-page volume is one of the first in a series on specific topics within law and economics which builds upon, updates and replaces Elgar's very popular Encyclopedia of Law and Economics (November 2000). The book is designed as an essential starting point for academics and policy-makers who are interested in these topics.

"Bringing together contributions from first-rate scholars in the field," says Yale Law School’s John J. Donohoe III, "Dau-Schmidt, Harris and Lobel, have put together a great resource for academics and policy-makers on either side of the Atlantic who are interested in these important issues."

The economic analysis of labor and employment law is a bold effort to apply economic theory to explain important empirical facts about the regulation of the employment relationship and to provide positive predictions and normative analyses that are useful to policy-makers. This book draws together 24 chapters, by leading scholars in the field, summarizing the important theoretical and empirical work that has been done to date on a wide spectrum of labor and employment law topics including: regulating employment contracts, unions, collective bargaining, minimum wages, health insurance, executive pay, workers’ compensation, unemployment, occupational health and safety, discrimination, needs of families, training and slave labor, to name but a few.

"This is a welcome and invaluable desktop companion for scholars, teachers, lawyers and policy-makers," says Gillian Lester of UC Berkeley School of Law. "Chapters by leading scholars from both law and economics cover an expansive array of topics on the regulation of work through the lens of economic analysis, concisely explaining theoretical foundations as well as identifying cutting-edge intellectual controversies. I recommend it most highly."

About Orly Lobel
Orly Lobel writes and teaches in the areas of employment law, administrative law, legal theory, torts, consumer law and trade secrets. Prior to coming to USD, she taught at Yale Law School and served as a fellow at the Harvard University Center for Ethics and the Professions, the Kennedy School of Government's Hauser Center for Non-Profit Research, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. A graduate of Tel Aviv University Law School, she clerked on the Israeli Supreme Court and did her graduate studies at Harvard Law School. Her current research focuses on new models of law and governance in the context of the new economy, the labor market, privatization and new public management techniques. Professor Lobel received her LL.B. in 1998 from Tel Aviv University and both her LL.M. in 2000 and her S.J.D. in 2006 from Harvard Law School.

About the University of San Diego School of Law
The University of San Diego School of Law is a center of academic excellence focused on preparing its students for legal practice in the new century. One of the most selective law schools in the country, the School of Law’s nationally recognized faculty create a demanding, yet welcoming environment that emphasizes individualized education. USD law school graduates consistently score higher than the state average on the California Bar Exam and go on to practice law throughout the country and abroad, forming an influential network of alumni. The USD School of Law is one of only 81 law schools in the country to have a chapter of the Order of the Coif, the most distinguished rank of American law schools. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.