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Full-Text Articles in Law
Of Bodies Politic And Pecuniary: A Brief History Of Corporate Purpose, David B. Guenther
Of Bodies Politic And Pecuniary: A Brief History Of Corporate Purpose, David B. Guenther
Law & Economics Working Papers
American corporate law has long drawn a bright line between for-profit and non-profit corporations. In recent years, hybrid or social enterprises have increasingly put this bright-line distinction to the test. This Article asks what we can learn about the purpose of the American business corporation by examining its history and development in the United States in its formative period from roughly 1780-1860. This brief history of corporate purpose suggests that the duty to maximize profits in the for-profit corporation is a relatively recent development. Historically, the American business corporation grew out of an earlier form of corporation that was neither …
Populist And Economic V. Feudal: Approaches To Industry Self-Regulation In The United States And England, Robert H. Heidt
Populist And Economic V. Feudal: Approaches To Industry Self-Regulation In The United States And England, Robert H. Heidt
Articles by Maurer Faculty
English and American courts treat industry self-regulation very differently. American courts have been generally slow to acknowledge the legitimacy of self-regulation. Once they accept the need for some degree of self-regulation, however, the American courts, under the growing influence of the Chicago school, have become increasingly willing to uphold the regulation on the grounds of economic efficiency. The English courts have had less difficulty recognizing the legitimate role industry self-regulation plays. In determining the reasonableness of the regulatory scheme, however, the English courts adopt a protectionist approach which favours the status quo within the industry. These distinctions, the author argues, …