SUNY Fredonia’s College of Natural and Social Sciences held the third installment of the spring 2010 Social Science Colloquium on Monday, March 29, with speaker Dr. Jonathan Chausovsky of the Political Science Department.
Dr. Chausovsky presented his talk entitled, "Information and Bureaucratic Authority: The Limitations of Charter Law and the Transition to the Federal Trade Commission, 1877-1914."
Dr. Chausovsky’s talk elaborated on happenings and research that led to the creation of the FTC, including how information theory is used to explain the advent of federal authority over corporations in the Progressive Era, how current research emphasizes ratemaking and enforcement powers and does not take into consideration prior regulation of corporations at the state level, and how actions taken at the state level during the 19th Century to gather information on corporations can be compared with federal efforts in the early 20th Century.
He then went on to discuss the Bureau of Corporation and its role in building a strong information gathering capacity and developing a reputation for effectiveness that helped form the FTC in 1914.
The Social Science Colloquium series is sponsored by the Dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences.
For more information about the Social Science Colloquium, contact Dr. Jack Croxton, series coordinator, at 716-673-3123 or Jack.Croxton@fredonia.edu.
