In their second joint colloquium in as many years,  the College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), both part of Qatar Foundation, recently hosted Professor David Singh Grewal, University of California, Berkeley Law School, who spoke about Law and Political Economy: Against the 20th Century Synthesis.  

In the colloquium, which occurred on January 29, Professor Grewal discussed the emerging “Law and Political Economy” movement in contesting the “Twentieth Century Synthesis” in American legal thought. According to Professor Grewal, the synthesis was a post-war accommodation that distinguished between ‘private’ law susceptible to efficiency analysis and ‘public’ law dedicated to formal equalities and constitutional protection. His remarks explored why the synthesis was possible with a focus on the emergence of economic power and an understanding of how it has re-shaped the law.

Edward Kolla, Associate Professor, GU-Q, provided comments to Professor Grewal’s principal address. He brought unique historical insights into the topic, including an interesting account of how economic power has been a driving force in American law from the nation’s founding.  Proceedings concluded with a question and answer session as well as further interventions from the floor.

After the colloquium, Susan L. Karamanian, Dean of HBKU Law, remarked:  “Once again, we were privileged to work with GU-Q to offer an event that addresses an issue of contemporary importance.  Teaming up with a world-class academic institution like GU-Q enabled us to blend the legal with the historical and reinforced our inter-disciplinary approach to teaching and research. We look forward to co-organizing further events in the future.”

“What is evident from research in the field of Law and Political Economy, legal scholarship rooted in a commitment to a more just society is that humanity cannot progress without collaborative, sustained effort from individuals, institutions, and societies,” added Dr. Ahmad Dallal, dean of GU-Q. “We were proud to work with our valued partner, the HBKU College of Law, to contribute thoughts to a topic that has such broad political and socio-economic consequences.”

The College of Law regularly holds public events to help inform a broader understanding of the law.  For more information, please visit cl.hbku.edu.qa