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In less than a decade, the number of countries that permit representative litigation by private actors has multiplied dramatically. A minority of these procedures share all the features of the American class action for money damages. But there is a trend toward permitting private individuals and organizations to come forward on behalf of absent parties to obtain injunctive or declaratory relief or monetary compensation in some or all circumstances. Whether these procedures will spread to other countries or within countries to a wide variety of substantive legal matters and whether in particular private actors will be allowed to claim money damages in many or all instances is uncertain. Currently, the key obstacles to effective implementation of class action procedures are traditional legal funding rules that do not easily accommodate the realities of representative litigation.

In less than a decade, the number of countries that permit representative litigation by private actors has multiplied dramatically. A minority of these procedures share all the features of the American class action for money damages. But there is a trend toward permitting private individuals and organizations to come forward on behalf of absent parties to obtain injunctive or declaratory relief or monetary compensation in some or all circumstances. Whether these procedures will spread to other countries or within countries to a wide variety of substantive legal matters and whether in particular private actors will be allowed to claim money damages in many or all instances is uncertain. Currently, the key obstacles to effective implementation of class action procedures are traditional legal funding rules that do not easily accommodate the realities of representative litigation. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc., copyright The American Academy of Political and Social Science.]

An examination of a pioneering survey of civil litigation in the US -- the U of Wisconsin Civil Litigation Research Project. Initiated in the late 1970s, the project explored the number of suits brought annually, the nature of disputes that led to insurance claims & court cases, the attitudes of citizens toward legal institutions as a result of their experiences in court, & the role of lawyers in the civil justice system. Data were obtained at various stages from federal & state court records (total N = 2,600 disputes) & interviews with lawyers, individual disputants, & representatives of organizations involved in disputes (total N = 3,853) at 5 sites: Albuquerque, NM, Columbia, SC, Los Angeles, Calif, Milwaukee, Wisc, & Philadelphia, Pa. The survey's methodology is discussed in detail & some fundamental errors are illuminated. Implications for future research on litigation & survey research in general are discussed. 5 References. K. Hyatt

1. R-2341/2. VIII,157 S.,Lit.,Tab.,Diagr. ISBN 0-8330-0163-9; 2. Technical Appendixes. R-2341/3- V,122 S.ISBN 0-8330-0205-8