Author Meets Critics: "The Political Development of American Debt Relief"

Session Submission Type: Author meet critics

Session Description

This author meets critics panel will center on Emily Zackin and Chloe Thurston's new groundbreaking book: "The Political Development of American Debt Relief." Americans have a long history with debt. They also have a long history of mobilizing for debt relief. Throughout the nineteenth century, indebted citizens demanded government protection from their financial burdens, challenging readings of the Constitution that exalted property rights at the expense of the vulnerable. This book traces how geographic, sectoral, and racial politics shaped debtor activism over time, enhancing our understanding of state-building, constitutionalism, and social policy.


This book represents a major contribution to the study of development, political economy, federal bankruptcy law, race, and social policy.

Sub Unit

• Division 7: Politics and History

Chair

• Emily Zackin Johns Hopkins University

Presenters

• Megan Ming Francis University of Washington

• Daniel P. Carpenter Harvard University

• Andrea Louise Campbell Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• David Alexander Bateman Cornell University

• Chloe Thurston Northwestern University