Abstract

Complexity in nature has been broadly found not only in physical and biological systems but also in social and economic systems. Although many studies have examined complex systems and helped us understand real-world complexity, the investigation to the legal complexity has not been thoroughly investigated. Here we introduce a novel approach to studying complex legal systems using complex network approaches. On the basis of the bipartite relations among Constitution articles and Court decisions, we built a complex legal network and found the system shows the heterogeneous structure as generally observed in many complex social systems. By treating legal networks as unique political regimes, we examine whether structural properties of the systems have been influenced as the society changes, or not. On one hand, there is a core structure in all legal networks regardless of any social circumstances. On the other hand, with relative comparison among different regimes’ networks, we could identify characteristic structural properties that reveal their identity. Our analysis would contribute to provide a better understanding of legal complexity and practical guidelines for use in various legal and social applications.

Highlights

  • Complexity in physical and biological systems originates from emergent behaviour which is different from the simple sum of individual behaviours [1,2,3]

  • We introduce a novel approach to the analysis of legal systems via complex network theory

  • By considering the legal system as a complex network made up of different legal articles, we investigate the longstanding issue of the relationship between laws and society [21]

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Summary

Introduction

Complexity in physical and biological systems originates from emergent behaviour which is different from the simple sum of individual behaviours [1,2,3]. Human society has multiple layers of complexity ranging from individual people, groups, and organizations to international relations and economics [4,5,6,7]. In many cases, such as complex patterns in the dynamics of pedestrian crowds [8], strategic actions among agents in complex organizations [9], and systemic risks in global financial systems [10], emergent behaviour arises from a myriad of interactions among a large number of agents. Complex network theory reveals the topological and dynamic patterns underlying complex systems irrespective of details and characteristics, which implies the universality in nature [18,19,20]

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