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Law and change: Scottish legal heroes
Law and change: Scottish legal heroes

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2.2 Law and order in context

Law is regarded as a formal mechanism of social control. It creates legal obligations and rights that are enforceable, adjudicates disputes and settles conflicts in a peaceful and regulated way. There is considerable support for the view that the main aim or purpose of law is to provide a sufficient degree of order so that society can function.

You will now explore the ideas of law as a mechanism for achieving political, economic, public and social order.