This essay is an attempt to uncover and reconstruct 19th-century legal notions of “public economy” and the “well-ordered market.” Through an analysis of 19th-century product and inspection laws, licensing cases and regulations, and public controls on the urban marketplace, the author argues that economic regulation was deeply rooted in American life and law throughout the pre-Civil War era. The pervasiveness of these regulations and accompanying legal rationales steeped in a vision of a “well-regulated society” call into question historical descriptions of this period as the golden age of market capitalism and possessive individualism Law's preeminent role in the construction of public economy also suggests the need to revise our inherited picture of antebellum law as pragmatic, instrumental, and wedded to classical conceptions of property, contract, and the market.

Earlier studies haw shown that professional orientations are related to individual compliance with laws and regulations. However, no quantitative studies have focused on compliance at the organizational level and the professional orientations of the chief executive officer. Studies on dues and law breaking at the individual level have focused on professional orientations, but within an organization there are other aspects of professionalism that will be of import in determining the organization's compliance with the law. We posit that professionalism is a more complex notion for individuals located in an organizational setting. Utilizing data collected from 410 Australian nursing homes, which are characterized by a flat management structure, the data show that of three aspects of professionalism—orientation, values, and autonomy—it is professional autonomy that directly affects organizational compliance. However, the data do suggest that the relationship between professional orientations and organizational compliance are mediated by the complexity of the organization. Organizational culture is also shown to be an important factor in explaining compliance with the law.