The Law Library recently subscribed to several subsets of the International Encyclopaedia of Laws (IEL), a useful source for anyone conducting comparative legal research. IEL is a series of 25 reference works; five of these are now available through Kluwer Law Online (under the Manuals tab):
Each subset covers different a field of law and consists of 'national monographs' that describe how each national legal system governs the relevant field. In some cases, the national monographs are supplemented with international monographs which detail the workings of relevant supranational organisations or provide an overview of the field from a comparative perspective.
All monographs are written by experts in the field who provide information on the legal framework and procedures specific to their country or international organisation. The monographs are all peer-reviewed and follow a uniform structure that includes:
- detailed historical background;
- introduction to the legal framework;
- in-depth analysis of relevant legislation.