An Austrian analysis of contemporary American business law

This chapter applies Austrian insights relevant to analysis of American business law. Modern corporation and partnership law, perhaps surprisingly, largely coheres with an Austrian theory of the firm, although recent regulations affecting corporate conduct and securities offerings, enacted in the wake of financial scandals, undermine these principles. On the other hand, antitrust law operates under a static view of markets that is inconsistent with Austrian principles, although recent antitrust decisions have been more consistent. We set forth aspects of Austrian thought most relevant to an analysis of American business law. We have shown that this rich body of thought that has proven so useful in analyses of institutions (e.g., the Socialist Calculation debate) and monetary and fiscal policies (e.g., Austrian business cycle theory) has much to offer in the economic analysis of specific legal rules.