Stigler Center-CEPR Political Economy of Finance Conference 2026: Crony Capitalism in 21st Century America

About the Conference

A century after J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Mellon, the rise of crony capitalism in America raises a familiar political economy question: how business elites intertwine with political elites to help them gain and entrench power.

Today’s mechanisms may look different than those in the past, but the core dynamic appears similar: concentrated wealth can underwrite political ascents, reshape the information environment, and weaken democratic accountability and state capacity. The emphasis is not only on policy favors but on how economic power can be converted into political power, tilting the rules of democratic competition and making influence self-reinforcing.

We aim to bring together scholars from finance, economics, political science, history, and law to compare these dynamics across countries and time, and to identify when and why the alliance between economic and political power becomes especially consequential for American democracy in the twenty-first century.

Call for Papers

Papers on topics related to crony capitalism in 21st century America will be accepted for consideration by June 1.

Deadline: Papers must be submitted by 11:59pm CT Chicago time on June 1.

Authors will be notified in August.

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About the Conference Series

The event, jointly hosted by the Stigler Center and The Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), aims to bring together researchers active at the intersections between Economics, Finance, Political Science, and Law.

This conference is in-person and by invitation-only.

Conference Organizers

Conference Venue:

Gleacher Center
450 Cityfront Plaza Dr, Chicago, IL 60611

For more information, contact:

Matthew Lucky, Stigler Center
matthew.lucky@chicagobooth.edu