Uncovering the Politics of Class Actions

Abstract

This chapter offers a deeper look into reforms in England and Wales. It describes the technical language of class actions as civil procedures that uncover the politics and economic interests involved in reform processes. It reviews debates over class action that have been divided along ideological lines, with conservative forces and corporate lobbies seeking to restrict the expansion and delimit the purview of the legal vehicle and progressive forces seeking to introduce and expand their scope. The chapter examines the redistributive feature of class actions and their effectiveness in vindicating the rights of harmed people against largely corporate misbehaviour on a mass scale. It discusses the political and economic interests that have animated discourse and reforms, including the ways in which such interests have perpetuated misconceptions and misinformation about class actions.