One of the most discussed questions in social science of the last decade is to what extent differences in economic development among countries can be explained by differing law and institutions. According to the ‘legal origins’-thesis, the answer is clear: it claims that differences in economic performance are to a large extent dependent on whether a country belongs to the civil law or common law family. Others have severely criticised this thesis. This volume takes stock of the debate and offers an integrated approach that not only takes into account the insights of economics, but also of comparative law and empirics. This book is published to celebrate the 100th volume in the Ius Commune Europaeum series. Its publication also marks the 20th anniversary of the Maastricht European Institute for Transnational Legal Research (METRO) and the founding of the Maastricht European Private Law Institute (MEPLI).