The Law & Economics Center has launched a series of programs to examine what has been named the “Law & Political Economy Project” (LPE) by its founders at Yale Law School. These LEC programs evaluate the challenges the LPE Project makes to the findings and utility of law and economics scholarship and the challenges it makes to the basic tenets of free markets and capitalism.
One new format in this series is the LEC’s Seminar on the Law & Political Economy Project, for which we have planned two iterations that will welcome 15 academic scholars at each to engage in roundtable discussions grounded on a diverse set of readings from, and in discourse with, the LPE Project and its network of scholars.
One underlying question: Does abundance obtain only by adherence to a paradigm that sets the conditions for human flourishing through following basic tenets of free markets, capitalism, the rule of law, individual freedom, equality of economic opportunity, and neutral resolution of disputes, enforcement of rights, and recognition of private ordering from an independent judiciary?
Or, are these institutions and principles instead roadblocks to progress and flourishing, as the growing LPE Project maintains? An excerpt from Yale’s LPE Project website demonstrates that it seeks to promote scholarship that is highly critical of markets, capitalism, and classical liberal values.
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Newly-developed programming from the Law & Economics Center – like this first-of-its-kind seminar – seeks to create environments for insightful analysis exploring these concerns.
This Seminar on the Law & Political Economy Project involved intensive discussion on the scholarly work from the LPE Project, from the literature that is challenged by the LPE Project, and from emerging literature that challenges the LPE Project. All accepted participants were sent a packet of required readings that formed the basis of the discussion. A commitment to read all materials in advance was a prerequisite for acceptance into the seminar.
At the Beaver Creek seminar, a small group of about 15 scholars carefully accepted through the application process gathered for 3 days of intensive discussions on topics centered on the rigorous reading packet. Two experienced discussion leaders guided the conversations.
No prior knowledge of or familiarity with the LPE Project was required to apply. Indeed, these seminars are designed to help introduce scholars to this debate. The only requirements were an interest to learn more about these subjects and a desire to use that knowledge in the discourse within the larger academic community—through writing, speaking, or adjusting teaching based on what is learned.
Other goals included that attending scholars will become interested in writing their own papers on these subjects (with the potential to apply for LEC grants to support that scholarship), to participate in future forums on these topics (sponsored by the LEC or others), and to generally engage and educate their peers and others about these issues from the information they gather at the seminar.
If you have any questions, please contact Angelica Sisson at asisson2@gmu.edu or 703.993.2566.