Yijia Lu

I am an assistant professor of law at the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University (academic profile here with my contact information).

My areas of interests are contracts, alternative dispute resolution, law and economics, institutional economics, and political economy.

I conduct research in the economic analysis of law. My work analyzes the effects of various modes of enforcement in contract law (internal moral constraints, reputation, monetary sanctions and specific enforcement) on legal rules, dispute-resolution mechanisms and institutional evolution. I use economic theory, historical narratives and laboratory experiments to investigate legal and institutional developments: in particular, the rise of modern arbitration in the twentieth century and a current trend that combines arbitration with mediation to resolve disputes.

In my spare time, I enjoy studying languages, exploring different cultures, and creative writing in foreign languages.