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A Tale of Two Debtors: Responding to the Shock of Over-Indebtednessin France and England: A Story from the Trente Piteuses

Ramsay, Iain (2012) A Tale of Two Debtors: Responding to the Shock of Over-Indebtednessin France and England: A Story from the Trente Piteuses. Modern Law Review, 75 (2). pp. 212-248. ISSN 0026-7961. (doi:10.1111/j.1468-2230.2012.00897.x) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:29161)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2230.2012.00897.x

Abstract

England and France have developed distinct treatment systems to address the shock of a substantial increase in over-indebted individuals since the mid-1980s. In France, Over-Indebtedness Commissions, with the Bank of France playing a central role in their management, now dominate the system. A more fragmented system of private and public providers of remedies developed in England, with innovation driven by private actors modifying existing commercial procedures and increased access to bankruptcy relief a side-effect of government promotion of entrepreneurialism. This article explains the differences between these countries in terms of the influence of interest groups, including state actors, and ideologies. Historical contingency also plays a role. The distinct responses were not hard-wired to legal origins and the article argues that analysis of the interaction of interest groups, state actors and ideology in shaping institutions, which in turn structure future change, provides a productive approach for future comparative research in this area.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1111/j.1468-2230.2012.00897.x
Uncontrolled keywords: Consumer Bankruptcy; Comparative Law; Consumer Law; Credit and Debt; French law; Insolvency
Subjects: K Law
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > Kent Law School
Depositing User: Jenny Harmer
Date Deposited: 16 Mar 2012 11:07 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:07 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/29161 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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