La Porta, RafaelLopez-de-Silanes, FlorencioShleifer, Andrei2009-05-202008La Porta, Rafael, Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes, and Andrei Shleifer. 2008. The economic consequences of legal origins. Journal of Economic Literature 46(2): 285-322.0022-0515http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:2962610In the last decade, economists have produced a considerable body of research suggesting that the historical origin of a country’s laws is highly correlated with a broad range of its legal rules and regulations, as well as with economic outcomes. We summarize this evidence and attempt a unified interpretation. We also address several objections to the empirical claim that legal origins matter. Finally, we assess the implications of this research for economic reform.en-US10.1257/jel.46.2.285