The law is a system of rules that governs the behaviour of people in a country. It has four principal purposes: establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights. Law shapes politics, economics, history and society in many ways.
There are different types of law: constitutional law, administrative law, contract law and criminal law. The law also includes a variety of statutes and regulations such as environmental, employment, health and safety laws, tax laws and immigration laws. It also includes laws relating to property such as land law and personal property law, and intellectual property.
The word “law” comes from the Latin word lege, meaning “a set of guidelines and rules that must be followed”. Laws are enforced by a controlling authority such as governmental or social institutions.
Various countries have different systems of law. Some, like the United States, use a common law system where laws are compiled from judges’ decisions on cases that come to trial. This means that the law evolves over time and changes to reflect new social or technological developments.
In this kind of legal system, the judge’s decision is legally binding in a particular case, but not necessarily in other similar cases. This is known as the doctrine of stare decisis. In other countries, such as the Republic of China, laws are derived from legislative statutes and executive regulations. These are often more detailed and prescriptive than the rulings of a judge in a common law jurisdiction, although they still have a certain amount of influence.