Ludis, lex Sportiva, lex Mercatoria: A comparative analysis of informal legal orders in a globalized world

This article looks at the development and interaction of three types of law: ludis (playful culture), lex sportiva (the sporting law), and lex mercatoria (commercial law). Though each arose to meet particular social and economic purposes – from sociability to sporting control to trade – these legal systems exhibit autonomic regulation, dynamic creation of norms, and arbitration of disputes. Based on historical analysis, theoretical review, and current practices, this study establishes how non-state legal systems have contributed to legal pluralism and still affect the global legal systems. It concludes by identifying the potential and difficulties of combining these systems within the formal state structures in a increasingly interconnected world.