A network model of legal relations
Ted Sichelman1, Henry E Smith2
1Judith Keep Professor of Law and Director Center for Intellectual Property Law and Markets; Founder and Director, Center for Computation, Mathematics, and the Law, University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, CA, USA.
Summary
This study introduces network theory to model legal relationships, revealing modular structures in property law that help manage complexity. This approach quantifies how law reduces information costs through semi-autonomous modules.
Area of Science:
- Law and Society
- Network Science
- Complexity Science
Background:
- Legal scholars have long recognized legal relations as complex social networks.
- Mathematical network theory has not been previously applied to formalize these legal relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose the first formalization of legal relationships using network theory.
- To model rudimentary real property relations and analyze their modular structure.
- To demonstrate how network science can quantify legal complexity and information costs.
Main Methods:
- Developed a rudimentary, static model of real property relations using network theory.
- Applied network theory to measure modularity (community structure) within these relations and associated actors.
Main Results:
- Even basic legal structures exhibit modularity, suggesting law uses these to manage complexity.
- Property law, torts, contracts, and intellectual property may reduce information costs via semi-autonomous modules.
- The network science approach offers a quantifiable method for analyzing legal systems.
Conclusions:
- Network theory provides a novel framework for understanding legal structures.
- Modularity is a key mechanism by which law simplifies complex interactions.
- This approach has broad applicability for quantifying various jurisprudential issues.
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