Book Review by Lisa Bei Li, Elenore Wade, and Taylor Glogiewicz · Dec. 2018
86 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. Arguendo 60
Corporations and American Democracy (Naomi R. Lamoreaux & William J. Novak eds., 2017)
With each chapter reminiscent of the law review article format, the contributors review corporate history from a detailed, scholarly perspective. Much of the focus is placed on the corporation and its historic role—or how it was historically and conceptually theorized and regulated—as opposed to focusing on the overarching history of campaign regulation, voting rights, or the democratic process—all topics of interest to those who followed Citizens United and Hobby Lobby. Concomitant with their scholarly achievement, we unfortunately found a lack of a principal narrative, voice, or discernable takeaway. Overall, because the book is presented in a series of discrete research topics related to the corporation, we feel that it would be a valuable reference text for professors with expertise or interest in the corporate form. We would not recommend it, however, to the casual reader hoping for predominant or long-term insights regarding the corporation in America.
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Regardless of the true underpinning of the project leading to the writing of Corporations and American Democracy, the discrete chapters of the work do hold ground in their own right. In fact, many chapters were forceful, incisive pieces of scholarship which direct readers to important primary and historical sources concerning American corporations.
