This book illustrates the influence of early human rights and mass industrialisation on the right to (physically) enforce performance of obligations in France, the German territories and the Netherlands during the nineteenth century. It provides background information to the harmonisation of a controversial concept in European Private Law.

“One of the most important contributions to the field of contract theory—if not the most important—in the past 25 years.” —Stephen A. Smith, McGill University Can we account for contract law on a moral basis that is acceptable from the standpoint of liberal justice? To answer this question, Peter Benson develops a theory of contract that is completely independent of—and arguably superior to—long-dominant views, which take contract law to be justified on the basis of economics or promissory morality. Through a detailed analysis of contract principles and doctrines, Benson brings out the specific normative conception underpinning the whole of contract law. Contract, he argues, is best explained as a transfer of rights, which is complete at the moment of agreement and is governed by a definite conception of justice—justice in transactions. Benson’s analysis provides what John Rawls called a public basis of justification, which is as essential to the liberal legitimacy of contract as to any other form of coercive law. The argument of Justice in Transactions is expressly complementary to Rawls’s, presenting an original justification designed specifically for transactions, as distinguished from the background institutions to which Rawls’s own theory applies. The result is a field-defining work offering a comprehensive theory of contract law. Benson shows that contract law is both justified in its own right and fully congruent with other domains—moral, economic, and political—of liberal society.

Introduction / Daniel Haas, Geerte Hesen, Jan Smits -- Specific performance in Dutch law / Daniel Haas, Chris Jansen -- Specific performance in Belgian law / Patrick Wéry -- Specirif performance, a German perspective / Florian Faust, Wolker Wiese -- Specific implement in Scots law / Laura Masgregor -- Contractual derogation and the discretion to refuse an order for specific performance in South Africa / Gerhard Lubbe -- Specific performance in English consumer sales law / Vanessa Mak -- Certain aspects of the right of repair and replacement under EC directive 1999/44 and its implementation in Poland / Aneta Wiewiórwska-Domagalska -- Specific performance within the heirarchy of remedies in European contract law / Viola Heutger, Janwillem Oosterhuis -- Specific performance : procedural aspects in Dutch law / Anthonie W. Jongbloed -- Specific performance in summary proceedings : state of affairs according to Belgian law / Elke Swaenepoel -- The redress of a terminated contract in Belgian law / Flavie Vermander -- Enforcement of the duty to carry on negotiations :(should it be) a possibility in Europe or not? / Carlos Bollen -- Enforcement of side-letters . F. Willem Grosheide -- Specific performance : a historical perspective / Harry Dondort -- Is the system of contract remedied in the Netherlands efficient from a law and economics perspective? / Geerte Hesen, Robert Hardy -- Do economic analysis and fairness influence the right to performancs in ways contrary to one another? / Gerard de Vries.

The law of commercial remedies raises a number of important doctrinal, theoretical and practical controversies which deserve sustained and rigorous examination. This volume explores such controversies and suggests solutions, which is essential to ensure that the law is defensible, clear and just. With contributions from twenty-three leading academic and practitioner experts, this book addresses significant issues in the law which, taken together, range across the entire remedial jurisdiction as it applies to commercial disputes. The book primarily focuses on the resolution of controversies in the English law of commercial remedies, but recent developments elsewhere are also considered, especially in other common law jurisdictions. The result provides remarkably comprehensive coverage of the field which will be of relevance to academics, students, judges and practitioners.

Rev. ed. of: Contract enforcement / Edward Yorio. c1989.