Law is a complex concept, but it involves the system of rules created and enforced by a community or a government to control behavior. These laws can be based on custom and tradition or they may be codified by a legislature, resulting in statutes; or they can be established through judges’ precedent in common law systems. Private individuals can also create legal contracts that are legally binding.
Law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways, while also providing a source of rich scholarly inquiry into areas such as legal history, philosophy, sociology, economic analysis and social science. It is one of the central foundations of a civilized society.
A key issue in the study of law is the nature and extent of government power and authority over society. The degree to which people can feel confident that they can rely on the government to protect their property, their rights and freedoms and to resolve disputes is often the main factor in a country’s level of stability and prosperity.
The basic function of law is to ensure that people adhere to the social values and norms that a society agrees upon, while providing a formal means for resolving disputes between individuals. In modern times, the growing power of military, police and bureaucracy raises a number of important issues about how much law can or should do to manage this expansion of state authority.
Some scholars see law as a tool to maintain a balance of power between a state and its citizens, but this view is often challenged by the reality that many states are undemocratic or authoritarian. Furthermore, there are many cultures that do not recognize the notion of law as a way to divide reality into natural and human/social categories.
A second view of the role of law views it as a safeguard of a shared social value system. This theory is often associated with Max Weber, who reshaped thinking about the nature of modern government and the role of law.
Laws are generally considered to be more effective when they are transparent, simple and easy to understand by the public. In addition, they are more likely to be respected when the source of the law is clearly identified, and when there is a strong emphasis on the principles of equity, fairness and justice.