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The Impact of Culture on Chinese Judges’ Decision-Making in Contractual Damages Cases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2017

Zihan NIU  and
Gijs VAN DIJCK
Zihan NIU
Affiliation:
Guangzhou University
Gijs VAN DIJCK
Affiliation:
Maastricht University
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Abstract

This research examines the impact of Chinese cultural values on the application of law on contractual damages. Following an experimental design, 43 in-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese judges in 13 cities and provinces across China. The data reveal two patterns. First, the judges took the cultural values into account when determining the amount of damages. Second, the consideration of cultural value factors reduced the judges’ consideration of legal factors. The local cultural values did not change the Chinese judges’ understanding of law. Instead, the judges compromised the legal requirements and cultural desires by using the discretion offered to them or by recommending mediation. The consideration of cultural values is not only the result of judges’ personal preferences, but also of judges seeking social approval. The motivation of Chinese judges to obtain social approval may be enhanced by the assessment criteria and the institutional constraints of Chinese courts.

Keywords

decision-making of judgesChinese cultural valuescontract lawdamagesinterview
Type
Research Article
Information
Asian Journal of Law and Society , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , November 2019 , pp. 359 - 394
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and KoGuan Law School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 2017

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Footnotes

*

The authors gratefully thank Dr Maartje De Visser and the three referees for their valuable comments on this article. Correspondence to Zihan Niu, 230 Daxuecheng Outer Ring W Rd, Panyu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510006. E-mail address: niuzihan@hotmail.com.

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