About the Author(s)

Thierry Kirat is the director of research for the Sociology and Legal Sciences section at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

Frédéric M. Marty

Senior Research Fellow
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

Frédéric Marty is an ICLE Academic Affiliate.

Related Research Programs

Antitrust

Law and Political Economy

Thierry Kirat & Frédéric M. Marty July 28, 2023

Encyclopedia of Law and Economics pp 1–5 View Original Source

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Definition

Law and political economy (hereafter LPE) is a rapidly expanding field grounded on a critical discussion of law and economics (and its “market fundamentalism”) within the legal community. According to Aber and Parker (2022), LPE “is a critical approach to law that is focused on the way that purportedly neutral legal rules shape economic power, disguise the political and ideological choices behind inequality, and insulate “the economy” from democratic control.”