Yijia Lu

Biographical Sketch

Yijia Lu is an Assistant Professor of Law at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University. He studies the effects of various modes of enforcement in contract law (internal moral constraints, reputation, monetary sanctions and specific enforcement) on legal rules, dispute-resolution mechanisms and institutional evolution. Professor Lu uses economic theory and historical narratives to investigate legal and institutional developments: in particular, the rise of modern arbitration in the twentieth century and a current trend that combines arbitration with mediation to resolve disputes. He also conducts laboratory experiments to examine the framing effects of penalties and taxes – important tools that are frequently used in law and policy to regulate behavior. His research interests also cover comparative law and political economy. Professor Lu’s recent scholarship has been published in the International Review of Law and Economics and the Journal of Public Economic Theory. He was also a contributing author in a report submitted to the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs.

Prior to joining Antonin Scalia Law School, Professor Lu was a Law and Economics Fellow at the New York University School of Law and a Paris Seine Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow at the ESSEC Business School in France and Singapore. He was also a visiting professor and scholar of law at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas. Professor Lu received his BA magna cum laude in Physics from Princeton University and his JD from Stanford University, where he was a recipient of the John M. Olin fellowship. He also holds a PhD in Economics from Yale University. 

Professor Lu teaches Scholarly Writing and Contracts II.