Olin Center for Law, Economics, and Public Policy

Olin Center for Law, Economics, and Public Policy
Name	Olin Center for Law, Economics, and Public Policy
Established	1980s
Type	Research center
Location	United States
Fields	Law; Economics; Public Policy
Parent institution	Washington University in St. Louis

Olin Center for Law, Economics, and Public Policy is an interdisciplinary research center that links legal scholarship with economic analysis and public policy evaluation. Founded with philanthropic support and institutional commitment, the center has developed programming that connects scholars, policymakers, and practitioners across multiple sectors. Its work spans empirical research, curricular innovation, and public events designed to shape debate on regulatory frameworks, litigation incentives, fiscal policy, and institutional design.

History

The Olin Center traces roots to philanthropic initiatives by the F. W. Olin Foundation and the corporate philanthropy of the John M. Olin Foundation in the late twentieth century, paralleling the growth of law-and-economics scholarship associated with figures such as Richard Posner, Ronald Coase, Gary Becker, Robert B. Cooter, and Guido Calabresi. Early institutional partners included Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, University of Chicago Law School, and Stanford Law School where comparative projects examined tort reform, antitrust enforcement, and regulatory capture inspired by analyses from Oliver E. Williamson and James M. Buchanan. Over successive decades the center expanded collaborations with the Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, Hoover Institution, and the Institute for Policy Studies to sponsor conferences that drew participants such as Elinor Ostrom, Milton Friedman, Alan Greenspan, and Janet Yellen. The center’s archives reflect programming during landmark events including debates following the Takings Clause litigation, responses to the Financial Crisis of 2007–2008, and policy analysis in the aftermath of the Affordable Care Act.

Mission and Research Focus

The center’s mission emphasizes empirical and theoretical work at the intersection of United States Supreme Court doctrine, Congress of the United States legislation, and Administrative Procedure Act processes with economic modeling influenced by scholars like John Nash, Kenneth Arrow, and Tjalling Koopmans. Research themes include tort law reforms traced to decisions such as Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co.; antitrust analysis in the tradition of United States v. Microsoft Corp.; property rights debates after Kelo v. City of New London; and cost-benefit frameworks used in regulatory rulemaking exemplified by work on the Clean Air Act and Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The center supports comparative studies involving institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and national bodies like the Bank of England to situate US policy in a global context.

Programs and Initiatives

Core programs include an annual lecture series named for donors, a visiting scholars program that hosts fellows from Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of Melbourne, and National University of Singapore, and an applied policy clinic partnering with the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and state attorney general offices. Initiatives have produced working groups on litigation finance tracking methodologies inspired by cases such as Buckley v. Valeo and policy task forces addressing criminal justice reform influenced by the work of Michelle Alexander and Alex Kozinski. Educational offerings include joint degree seminars with Harvard Kennedy School, externships with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and executive education modules tailored for staff from Pew Charitable Trusts and The Heritage Foundation.

Faculty and Leadership

The center’s leadership has drawn deans, scholars, and practitioners including faculty who have held appointments at Columbia Law School, New York University School of Law, Berkeley Law, and Duke University School of Law. Directors and affiliated faculty have included economists and legal theorists trained under mentors such as Milton Friedman and Ronald Coase, and jurists who later served on courts like the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States as clerks or advisors. The governing board has featured representatives from American Bar Association, Federal Reserve Board, Council on Foreign Relations, and private sector leaders from Goldman Sachs and ExxonMobil who provide strategic guidance while preserving academic independence.

Publications and Conferences

The center issues working papers, policy briefs, and edited volumes that appear in outlets such as the Yale Law Journal, Harvard Law Review, Journal of Political Economy, and the American Economic Review. Conference topics have included antitrust enforcement after United States v. AT&T Inc.-era litigation, comparative regulatory governance examining European Commission directives, and empirical methods in legal studies influenced by the American Association for Public Opinion Research. High-profile events have hosted panels with scholars like Cass Sunstein, Lisa Bernstein, Douglas North, and practitioners from Latham & Watkins and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Notable Alumni and Impact

Alumni have pursued careers as judges on state and federal benches, policy advisors at the White House, members of the United States Congress, senior staff at the Department of Justice, and leaders of nonprofits such as Brennan Center for Justice and Cato Institute. Former fellows have testified before congressional committees concerning matters related to the Antitrust Division (United States Department of Justice) and regulatory cost-benefit analysis, influenced litigation strategy in cases involving Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy-type issues, and contributed to legislation modeled on reforms proposed in center white papers. The center’s scholarship has been cited in briefs submitted to the Supreme Court of the United States and in reports by international organizations including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Health Organization.

Category:Research institutes in the United States