Preface

This Special Issue of the Journal of Law Reform explores the relationship between law and a troubled United States economy. Persistent inflation, declining productivity, plant closings in basic industries, and a host of other economic ills have forced the legal system to respond in at least two fundamental ways. First, the law has been called upon to solve economic crises. Wage-price controls and aggressive antitrust enforcement present two examples of this more activist role. Secondly, the law has had to adapt to a fluctuating economic landscape. In areas such as antitrust, pension, and bankruptcy law, courts and legislatures have had to renovate old doctrines to fit new situations.