I can't find a link to it, but I recommend everyone use Lexis and find Bruce L. Benson, "The Spontaneous Evolution of Commercial Law."
This is one of my favorite law review articles of all time. It traces the development of the Lex Mercatoria, a system of law that grew out of customs among merchants in Medieval Europe. Over centuries, these merchant customs solidified into a sophisticated set of commercial laws that is still used today in international trade. What's particularly interesting is that private companies regularly obey it, and yet there is no international organization to enforce it.
I found this interesting for a few reasons,
1) Coercive force is not necessary to have a well functioning system of law
2) Often the most effective laws are not ones drafted by Congressional committees or a group of law professors, but customary practices developed by parties involved in day to day activities
3) Tradition is a powerful source of legitimacy. The Lex Mercatoria relies upon no sovereign authority and was never voted upon. People obey it because it's effective, and because it's traditional.
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Well, it took long enough but if you get around to seeing this Neil, it can be found at 55 S Econ J 644 (1989). Of course, being an econ journal, it's not normally found in our libraries.
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