Economic activity is more globally integrated than ever before, but so is the scope of corporate misconduct. As more and more people across the world are affected by such malfeasance, the differences in legal redress have become increasingly visible. This transparency has resulted in a growing convergence towards an American model of robust private enforcement of the law, including the class-action lawsuit. This handbook brings together scholars from nearly two dozen countries to describe and assess the class-action procedure (or its equivalent) in their respective countries and, where possible, to offer empirical data on these systems. At the same time, the work presents a variety of multidisciplinary perspectives on class actions, from economics to philosophy, making this handbook an essential resource to academics, lawyers, and policymakers alike.

1. The U.S. Class Action from a Utilitarian Perspective: Balancing Social Benefits and Social Costs Robert G. Bone; 2. Civil Rights, Access to Counsel, and Injunctive Class Actions in the United States Maureen Carroll; 3. Class Action Nuisance Suits: Evidence from Frequent Filer Shareholder Plaintiffs Sean J. Griffith; 4. The Future of Aggregate Litigation in the United States Robert Klonoff; 5. Mandatory Arbitration of Intra-Corporate Disputes in Brazil: A Beacon of Light for Shareholder Litigation? Patricia Gil Lemstra and Joseph A. McCahery; 6. Cold Facts from the Great White North: Empirical Truths, Contemporary Challenges and Class Action Reform Jasminka Kalajdzic and Catherine Piché; 7. Class Action in Brazil: Overview, Current Trends and Case Studies Carlos Portugal Gouvêa and Helena Campos Refosco; 8. English Systems of Multi-Party Litigation Neil Andrews; 9. Class Actions in Switzerland Beat Bräendli; 10. Class Actions in Belgium Hans De Wulf; 11. The New Italian Regulation on Class Actions Paolo Giudici and Beatrice Zuffi; 12. Collective Litigation in German Civil Procedure Axel Halfmeier; 13. Class Action à la Française Maria José Azar-Baud and Véronique Magnier; 14. The Solid Dutch Mechanisms for Collective Settlement C.F. Van der Elst and W.C.T. Weterings; 15. The Emergence and Reform of the New Zealand Class Action Nikki Chamberlain and Susan Watson; 16. Representative Proceedings in Singapore: Is the Time Ripe for Reform? Eunice Chua; 17. Class Action in China: Challenges and Opportunities Robin Hui Huang; 18. Class Actions in Australia Michael Legg and Samuel J. Hickey; 19. Empirical and Practical Perspectives on 27 Years of Product Liability Class Actions in Australia Julian Schimmel, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Nina Abbey and Vincent Morabito; 20. Securities Class Actions in Korea Hai Jin Park and Hyeok-Joon Rho; 21. A Review of the Current Status of, and Future Issues Facing, Consumer Class Action Systems in Japan Taeko Morita, Daisuke Eguchi, Nishimura and Asahi; 22. The Indian Securities Fraud Class Action: Is Class Arbitration the Answer? Brian T. Fitzpatrick and Randall Thomas; 23. Class Actions in South Africa: A Need for Certainty Theo Broodryk; 24. Class Actions and the Regulatory State ¿ Lessons from Israel Shay Lavie; 25. The Israeli Public Class Action Fund: New Approach for Intergrating Business and Social Responsibility Eli Bukspan.