LPE Blog

Have you heard the good news? A forthcoming conference will launch the The Association of Law and Political Economy: a membership organization with a regular annual conference, elected leadership, and an architecture for open participation and collaboration.

Today, James Bhandary-Alexander reflects on the life and times of Thomas Emerson — a law professor who refused to be silenced by the forces of repression during the Second Red Scare — and considers what his example can teach us about resisting today’s repressive climate.

The week in review: @ksabeelrahman.bsky.social on legislative primacy; Amna Akba, @joesoss.bsky.social, and @joshpage.bsky.social on criminal-legal predation; and Justin Deystone on critical theory and capitalism. Plus, some jobs, CfPs, and new articles in the 🧵👇

What is the role of legal theory in helping us understand and advance a critique of capitalist society? Today, Justin Deystone reflects on a new symposium that brings together Marxist thinkers, Law and Political Economy scholars, and critical legal theorists.

Today, Amna Akbar interviews @joesoss.bsky.social and @joshpage.bsky.social about their recent work on the predatory dimensions of criminal legal governance.

Today, @ksabeelrahman.bsky.social argues that legislative primacy offers an attractive long-term vision for democracy. To reach that goal, however, we need to use every tool available to address the underlying configurations of economic and political power that enabled the current crisis.

Today, Greg Baltz explains why New York City’s annual Rent Guidelines Board hearings are critical for tenant organizing, and why such organizing is essential to prepare for the real estate industry’s inevitable backlash. Co-published with @nycpolicyforum.bsky.social!

Congrats to Bench Ansfield 🎉! If you want to see what all the buzz is about, check out their interview with Andrew Anatasi on how arson became profitable for landlords, how residents organized to stop it, and what this tells us about the ongoing interplay between property and racial capitalism.

"The shift from rainbow capitalism to today’s anti-woke agenda reveals the political-economic and legal construction of diversity’s value in the marketplace."

Today, Joanna Wuest explains how conservative campaigns are transforming the economic value of diversity through shareholder activism, consumer boycotts, and litigation.

Muskismo!

The week in review: a spring scouting report on some of the hottest new LPE articles, and Andrew Miller on how personalized markets undermine solidarity. Plus, new books, events, and articles from Shaun Ossei-Owusu, Aziz Rana, Kate Andrias, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, and more! 🧵