Journal of Law and Economics

Contents

Journal of Law and Economics is a peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1958 focusing on empirical and theoretical research at the intersection of law and economics through articles that apply economic reasoning to legal institutions, regulation, and public policy. The journal publishes contributions from scholars affiliated with institutions such as the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Yale University and is distributed by the University of Chicago Press. It has influenced debates involving courts, legislatures, and administrative agencies and is cited in scholarship across Columbia University, Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, and international centers like the London School of Economics and European University Institute.

History

The journal was founded in 1958 during a period of institutional development following initiatives at the University of Chicago Law School and the Chicago School of economics led by figures associated with Milton Friedman, George Stigler, and Ronald Coase. Early editorial leadership included scholars connected to Richard Posner, Aaron Director, and contemporaries from University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University who sought to formalize research linking judicial decisions such as the Brown v. Board of Education litigation era impacts and antitrust cases like United States v. Microsoft Corporation to economic analysis. Over decades the journal has chronicled shifts after landmark events such as the deregulatory moves under the Reagan Administration and policy responses to crises like the 2008 financial crisis, while publishing work by contributors from think tanks including the Brookings Institution and the Hoover Institution.

The journal's scope encompasses analysis of property law, torts, contracts, criminal sanctions, corporate governance, and regulation, frequently drawing on data and models relevant to decisions by bodies like the Supreme Court of the United States, the European Court of Justice, and administrative agencies including the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Articles engage with theoretical frameworks advanced by scholars connected to Chicago School (economics), Public Choice theory, and scholars influenced by works such as The Wealth of Nations and The Federalist Papers in framing institutions. The journal also publishes empirical studies that reference datasets used by researchers at National Bureau of Economic Research, RAND Corporation, and universities including Columbia University School of Law and NYU School of Law. Contributors have included academics affiliated with Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of Toronto, and policy-oriented institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

The journal is published quarterly by the University of Chicago Press with an editorial board composed of scholars appointed from leading law schools and economics departments such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, Chicago Booth School of Business, and Columbia Law School. Editors have been prominent faculty with ties to organizations like the American Law and Economics Association and editorial practices reflect standards similar to those of journals including The Journal of Political Economy, American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics, and The Yale Law Journal. Peer review is double-blind or single-blind depending on submission policies, and issues include symposia and occasional special issues coordinated with conferences at venues like The Hoover Institution, Brookings Institution, and international meetings at The World Bank or the European University Institute.

The journal is widely cited in scholarship and policy debates, with influence traceable in citations within opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States and academic work at Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, and The Yale Law Journal. Its articles have shaped discourse on antitrust enforcement exemplified by cases involving AT&T and Microsoft, on corporate law debates involving firms like Enron and General Motors, and on regulatory approaches adopted by bodies such as the Federal Communications Commission and Environmental Protection Agency. Rankings by bibliometric services and citations in working papers from National Bureau of Economic Research and policy briefs at the Brookings Institution attest to its standing among journals including Journal of Political Economy and American Economic Review.

The journal has published influential articles that advanced theories and empirical methods later cited in landmark legal and economic work. Notable contributions include pieces that built on Coase theorem-related analysis, empirical studies of lawsuit incentives referencing cases like Marbury v. Madison, analyses of liability and insurance markets tied to events such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and corporate governance research engaging with episodes at Enron and WorldCom. Seminal authors who have appeared include scholars associated with George Stigler, Ronald Coase, Richard Posner, Kenneth Arrow, Oliver Williamson, Friedrich Hayek, John Maynard Keynes, Douglass North, Elinor Ostrom, Michael Jensen, William Meckling, Daniel Kahneman, and Vernon Smith, whose theoretical and empirical work has been disseminated and debated in this venue. The journal's archives record dialogues on competition policy, intellectual property disputes involving firms like Apple Inc. and Google, and crime and punishment research influencing policies in jurisdictions from Illinois to European Union institutions.

Category:Law journals Category:Economics journals