Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State

Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State
Name	Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State
Established	2010
Founder	George J. Stigler
Location	University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago, Illinois
Director	(various; see Faculty and Leadership)
Focus	Research on market regulation, industrial organization, competition policy

Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State is a research center based at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business devoted to studies of markets, regulatory institutions, and public policy. The center builds on intellectual traditions associated with Nobel laureate George Stigler and interfaces with scholars from Chicago School of Economics, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Columbia University. It convenes workshops, publishes working papers, and engages with policymakers from institutions such as the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice (United States), and international agencies including the European Commission.

History

The center was announced in 2010 with support from private donors and leadership at the University of Chicago. Its naming invokes George Stigler, whose work on regulatory capture, information, and industrial organization shaped mid‑20th century debates alongside contemporaries such as Milton Friedman, Gary Becker, and Ronald Coase. Early activities featured collaborations with scholars from London School of Economics, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Pennsylvania. Over time the center broadened connections to practitioners from the Federal Reserve, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and national competition authorities in United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.

Mission and Research Focus

The center's stated mission emphasizes rigorous empirical and theoretical research into market structure, regulation, competition policy, and the interaction between private firms and public institutions. Research strands draw on literatures associated with Industrial Organization, Public Choice, and Law and Economics as exemplified by figures like Richard Posner, Aaron Director, and A. Mitchell Polinsky. Themes include antitrust enforcement, mergers, network industries, regulatory reform, and political economy topics explored in venues such as American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, and Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include seminars that bring together faculty from Booth School of Business, visiting scholars from Oxford University, postdoctoral fellows from National Bureau of Economic Research, and practitioners from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, and corporate legal departments. Initiatives have included case competitions modeled on activities at Harvard Business School and policy workshops in partnership with the Antitrust Division (United States Department of Justice), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and national regulatory agencies in France and Brazil. The center has organized executive education modules for audiences from Google, Microsoft, AT&T, Pfizer, and Amazon.

Publications and Conferences

The center disseminates working papers, white papers, and conference proceedings that have appeared alongside scholarship in outlets such as Law and Contemporary Problems, Yale Law Journal, and Harvard Law Review. It hosts recurring conferences that attract participants from Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, Aspen Institute, and leading law schools including Columbia Law School and NYU School of Law. Notable conferences have addressed topics linked to high‑profile cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and enforcement matters involving firms like Apple Inc., Facebook, Google LLC, and Microsoft Corporation.

Faculty and Leadership

Leadership and affiliated faculty have included scholars from the University of Chicago faculty network and visiting professors from institutions such as Cornell University, Duke University, University of California, Berkeley, and Northwestern University. Affiliated economists and legal scholars have backgrounds connected to doctoral programs at Princeton University, University of Chicago Department of Economics, and MIT Economics, and to clerkships at the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. Visiting fellows often come from the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the Federal Communications Commission.

Funding and Affiliations

Funding sources have included private philanthropy, corporate sponsorships, and grants tied to foundations and research programs associated with Searle Freedom Trust, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and donor families tied to the Walton Family Foundation. The center is institutionally affiliated with the Booth School of Business and collaborates with units across the University of Chicago such as the Harris School of Public Policy and the Law School. It has accepted project‑specific support for events and fellowships from law firms and technology firms involved in regulatory proceedings and policy debates at the Federal Trade Commission and in national legislatures including the United States Congress.

Impact and Criticism

The center has influenced academic debates on regulatory capture, merger policy, and competition law through citation in scholarship and testimony offered to bodies such as the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Its conferences and publications have contributed to policy discussions in antitrust cases and legislative proposals in jurisdictions including the European Union and the United States. Critics have argued that funding relationships with corporate donors and law firms may create perceived conflicts of interest, a concern raised in media outlets and by scholars affiliated with Public Citizen, Center for American Progress, and researchers at New York University. Defenders point to peer‑reviewed research, transparency measures, and the center's record of engaging diverse scholars from institutions such as Yale Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Princeton University.

Category:University of Chicago