ALPE Conference February 2026, Richmond, Virginia

[James Keenan]

The Association of Law and Political Economy (ALPE) is planning its inaugural conference for February 6-7, 2026 in Richmond. From an announcement posted by the Law and Political Economy Project (LPE):

"This conference will serve as the launch for a new Association for Law and Political Economy (ALPE), an organization dedicated to the production of scholarly knowledge by academics, researchers, organizers, practitioners, and others committed to centering issues of political economy in the study of law—that is, how the law facilitates and responds to particular distributions and arrangements of political and economic resources. A law and political economy approach does not accept the economy as given, as merely the realm of market exchange, but understands the very boundaries of “the economy” to be contested.

"The new Association is a collaborative endeavor organized by faculty across the LPE ecosystem, to allow us to have a regular annual conference; rotating, elected leadership; and an architecture for open participation and collaboration that can grow to meet the need and enthusiasm for LPE work today. We encourage everyone interested in LPE to attend, and especially encourage those who are new to LPE or “LPE curious.” The conference will include a meeting that offers information on how attendees can get involved in shaping the Association."

I've attended several conferences and lectures organized by the LPE Project in New York City and New Haven over the past two years and found them quite interesting. We've had some of the veteran LPE folks speak at MMT and related conferences. This summer I've attended LPE social events in Brooklyn and Manhattan and have had many stimulating conversations with law students and early career lawyers about MMT at those events.