Law is a body of rules that a community accepts as binding and which are enforced by a controlling authority. It can be made by a legislative authority, resulting in statutes; or it may be codified and recognized through judicial decision and precedent, as with common law; or it may be imposed and enforced through the executive branch, such as through decrees and regulations; or it may be based on religious beliefs, such as divine commandments. The legal system varies around the world, reflecting the cultural, historical and economic influences on a country or region.
The purpose of law is to regulate people’s behaviour and ensure a just society. It does this through four main means: establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting rights and liberties. Some legal systems serve these purposes better than others.
For example, in a democracy, laws establish the foundation of government, ensuring that people have a say in how their country is run and that governments are accountable to their citizens. This is often referred to as ‘the rule of law’, though the precise definition is controversial.
Other laws ensure that people are treated equally, even if they come from different social classes or are from different parts of the country or the world. They also make sure that people face the same consequences for breaking the law, regardless of their wealth or status. This is a core principle of the rule of law and is called “the equality of the law”.
Finally, the law ensures that people can live peacefully together by resolving conflicts. This is particularly important when two or more people claim ownership of property, for example a house or a car. The law decides who owns it and how that ownership can be changed.
The law is vast and diverse, covering many areas of life. Examples include contract law, which regulates agreements to exchange goods or services; tort law, which compensates people when they are harmed or their reputations damaged, such as in an automobile accident or by defamation; property law, which sets out the rights and duties of owners and occupiers of tangible and intangible property; and labour law, which deals with employment and working conditions. There is also a body of law relating to international politics and foreign affairs, which can encompass such issues as asylum; war; arms exports; terrorism; nuclear proliferation; and international treaties and agreements. For more information see Oxford Reference’s Law entries, which feature concise definitions and in-depth specialist encyclopedic entries. These are written by experts in the field and intended for researchers at every level. They are complemented by chronologies, charts and diagrams where relevant. For more on the history and philosophy of law, see law, history of; jurisprudence; and Max Weber. Oxford Reference is proud to have more than 34,000 concise definitions and in-depth encyclopedic entries on this broad discipline. See also criminal law; civil law; administrative law; family law; business and commercial law; and biolaw.