"The Deformation of Contract in the Information Society"

The HLA Hart Memorial Lecture, delivered at Oxford on 24 May 2016. The Lecture considers how the advent and growth of the information society is posing challenges for the traditional theories of contract, and for the duties of the state with regard to contractual ordering. In particular, the Lecture considers the lack of ‘fit’ between certain prevalent uses of contract and the underlying justification for contract enforcement.