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  1. Home
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  3. Incomprehensible!
  • Cited by 3
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
June 2019
Print publication year:
2019
Online ISBN:
9781139051774
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139051774
Subjects:
Constitutional and Administrative Law, Area Studies, American Studies, American Government, Politics and Policy, Law, Politics and International Relations
Information

Book description

The legal system is awash with excessive and incomprehensible information. Yet many of us assume that the unrelenting torrent of information pouring into various legal programs is both inevitable and unstoppable. We have become complacent; but it does not have to be this way. Incomprehensible! argues that surrendering to incomprehensibility is a bad mistake. Drawing together evidence from diverse fields such as consumer protection, financial regulation, patents, chemical control, and administrative and legislative processes, this book identifies a number of important legal programs that are built on the foundational assumption that 'more information is better'. Each of these legal processes have been designed in ways that ignore the imperative of meaningful communication. To rectify this systemic problem, the law must be re-designed to pay careful attention to the problem of incomprehensibility.

Reviews

‘Using a wide variety of legal fields, Wagner and Walker unpack how asymmetrical comprehension or information dictates a price point at which people will stop seeking to understand but instead pay a cost to have someone else understand for them.’

Ashley Pearson Source: International Journal for the Semiotics of Law

‘I found this book well researched and meticulously referenced … I would recommend it for academic and government audiences, particularly those interested in regulatory reform.’

David H. Michels Source: Canadian Law Library Review

‘This is a valuable read for students, academics, and practitioners.’

F. E. Knowles Source: Choice

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