Law is a system of rules that regulates the behaviour of individuals or groups and is enforced by a controlling authority through sanctions. It shapes politics, economics and history as well as relationships between people. Law pervades every aspect of society and varies depending on the social culture, but its most basic function is to define what is enforceable and what is not. Law consists of statutes, codes, legal doctrine and case law. Its disciplinary fields include civil procedure, criminal law and labour law. Law also covers contracts, property and medical jurisprudence.
Law acts as a social institution for many purposes, including to keep the peace, maintain status quo, preserve individual rights and protect minorities against majorities. The laws of some nations may be more effective at these tasks than others. For example, a regime that imposes peace through force may oppress minorities or political opponents (e.g., Burma under the military junta).
The exact definition of law is subject to debate and varies depending on one’s perspective. The most widely accepted definition of law is that it is a body of rules established and enforced by a controlling authority through sanctions. The most common method of lawmaking is by a legislative body resulting in statutes. Other methods of generating law include decrees and regulations or by judges through precedent in courts of law.
Legal philosopher Roscoe Pound proposed a more comprehensive definition of law, stating that it is “the means by which a social community controls the behavior of its members.” This view has been criticized for describing law as a tool of social control and for the fact that coercion is inherent in any legal system.