Program on Law & Economics

Director: Daniel B. Kelly

Established in 2010, the Program on Law & Economics seeks to promote research and scholarship in law and economics, law and the social sciences, and law and business. To this end, the program offers an innovative seminar, organizes an annual symposium, and supports interdisciplinary research and relationships among both faculty and students at Notre Dame Law School and the University of Notre Dame.

The cornerstone of the program is the Law & Economics Seminar. This seminar provides students with an introduction to the economic analysis of law. In addition, many of the seminar sessions involve interactive workshop presentations. At these presentations, invited speakers — from Notre Dame Law School, other departments at the University of Notre Dame, and other law schools and universities — deliver working papers and the enrolled students, as well as interested faculty members, have the opportunity to ask questions and offer their comments.

The program also hosts an annual Law & Economics Symposium. Featuring two keynote speakers, the symposium involves the presentation of cutting-edge theoretical and empirical research at the intersection of law and economics. Speakers have an opportunity to comment on each other's papers and respond to the ideas of commentators and questions from the audience, which consists of faculty and students from multiple departments. Although the substantive theme of the symposium changes from year to year, the objective of the symposium is fixed: attract prominent scholars, encourage lively discussion, and analyze timely topics.

The Program on Law & Economics also seeks to foster interdisciplinary research and relationships in other ways. By encouraging the intellectual and scholarly development of faculty members, promoting the creation and dissemination of research through a paper series, and enabling collaboration with colleagues across disciplines, presentation of work at various conferences and workshops, and publication of scholarship in academic presses, peer-reviewed journals, and law reviews, the program hopes to promote analytically rigorous research and contribute meaningful insights on today's most significant legal issues and policy debates.