Integrating the current research in law, economics, sociology, game theory and anthropology, this text demonstrates that people largely govern themselves by means of informal rules - social norms - without the need for a state or other central co-ordinator to lay down the law.

Neighbours and the Law is an easy-to-understand guide to the different areas of law that are involved in neighbourhood issues and disputes.

Neighbours and the Law is Ireland's first publication dealing with legal issues that may arise between neighbors. This book guides readers through the maze of everyday issues that occur in urban and rural neighborhood life, including a guide to the civil and statutory remedies in relation to a wide range of problems that arise between neighbors, from boundary disputes to derelict and unsanitary sites. Neighbours and the Law provides a detailed analysis of Ireland's Land Reform and Conveyancing Act 2009 (as amended) in relation to neighborhood issues, such as the practice and procedure for the obtaining of a Works Orders to allowing for access to neighboring lands in order to carry out works on party structures, and new timeframes and methodology for the obtaining and registration of easements such as rights of way. As well, the book offers practical advice on the drafting of planning objections and appeals, unauthorized development complaints, noise/nuisance diary sheets to facilitate the obtaining of noise orders or the making of complaints in relation to nuisance caused by backyard burning of waste. Other areas covered in detail include civil liability for farm yard and domestic animals, lopping overhanging branches and encroaching roots, civil liability for visitors on property, and the right to self-defense in the home. Of particular interest is a detailed discussion of the role of mediation and conciliation in the area of property disputes and other problems between adjoining landowners.

Your neighbors aren't moving and neither are you—you've got to make the best of the situation and this book will help. It will tell you when the law is on your side and how to deal with your neighbors without creating enemies. Neighbor Law is the most thorough resource available on how to live happily in your community.

What instruments does the EU have at its disposal and how can it link them in order to respond to the challenges and overcome the current fragmentation? How can the EU create bridges between the neighbours of its neighbours? This timely book takes stock of the state of the EU’s co-operation with these regions and explores how the concept might help promote security, stability and prosperity beyond the countries which are formally part of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

So your neighbor's giant sequoia is blocking your view. Who ya gonna call? The search for a 'dispute buster' should end with this helpful new book. Sunset Magazine - For anyone with a neighbor problem, [Neighbor Law] is a handy book indeed. It walks the reader through written and common law, tells you what your rights are and how to follow through on a complaint all the way to court, if necessary.- Oakland Tribune - Explains how to use mediation services, research local laws, and present a convincing case in small claims court. - Reuters - Surprisingly, this is a fun read. The author includes interesting sidebars and court decisions to clarify her explanations. - Sacramento Bee - A Nolo book that gives practical, no-nonsense approaches to handling neighbor disputes. - Los Angeles Times - This classic book, which keeps getting better with each new edition, answers virtually all questions regarding fences, trees, boundaries and noise.- Orlando Sentinel - Jordan peppers the book with real stories of problems neighbors have with each other. The stories are interesting and, in some cases, hilarious. - Arizona Republic - Even if you don't have a serious neighbor problem yet, this well-written and complete book is a fun and educational read. It is extremely thorough and well-documented. 4 stars: excellent. - Robert Bruss, nationally syndicated real-estate columnist

From the Spanish Inquisition to Nazi Germany to the United States today, ordinary people have often chosen to turn in their neighbors to the authorities. What motivates citizens to inform on the people next door? In Judge Thy Neighbor, Patrick Bergemann provides a theoretical framework for understanding the motives for denunciations in terms of institutional structures and incentives. In case studies of societies in which denunciations were widespread, Bergemann merges historical and quantitative analysis to explore individual reasons for participation. He sheds light on Jewish converts’ shifting motives during the Spanish Inquisition; when and why seventeenth-century Romanov subjects fulfilled their obligation to report insults to the tsar’s honor; and the widespread petty and false complaints filed by German citizens under the Third Reich, as well as present-day plea bargains, whistleblowing, and crime reporting. Bergemann finds that when authorities use coercion or positive incentives to elicit information, individuals denounce out of self-preservation or to gain rewards. However, in the absence of these incentives, denunciations are often motivated by personal resentments and grudges. In both cases, denunciations facilitate social control not because of citizen loyalty or moral outrage but through the local interests of ordinary participants. Offering an empirically and theoretically rich account of the dynamics of denunciation as well as vivid descriptions of the denounced, Judge Thy Neighbor is a timely and compelling analysis of the reasons people turn in their acquaintances, with relevance beyond conventionally repressive regimes.