Concept of a legal system: an introduction to the theory of legal system
- 2nd ed.
- Oxford Clarendon 1980
- 245 p.
Three problems are explored in this study: What does it mean to assert or deny the existence of a legal system? How can one determine whether a given law belongs to a certain legal system? What kind of structure do legal systems have, i.e. what necessary relations obtain between their laws? The examination of these problems leads to a new approach to some traditional jurisprudential questions, though the conclusions reached are based on a critical appraisal of several previous theories, particularly those of Bentham, Austin, Hohfeld, Kelsen, and Hart.