The Centre has been established to become a Trans-Tasman centre of excellence in the application of economic analysis to law in Australia and New Zealand. All Government policy, whether taxation expenditure or pure property rights regulation, involves at its root laws enacted by Parliament or courts. Given its dual base in Canberra and Wellington, the centre's primary focus is upon public law in three areas: 

Social Policy, Law, Finance and Management (including Welfare, Superannuation, Health, Education, Employment and Family Policy) Public Policy, Law, Finance, and Management Competition Law and Regulation

Dr George Barker is overall Director of the Centre for Law and Economics and Associate Professor at The ANU.

Dr George Barker has a Doctorate in Economics from Oxford University, and law degree and Master of Economics from Auckland. He was recently appointed Assocciate Professor, and Director of the Centre for Law and Economics at The Australian National University. He is also presently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Victoria University, and Managing Director Asia Pacific LECG Ltd (NZ). He was previously employed as Advisor and Head of the Strategic Advisory Unit at the New Zealand Treasury where he worked from 1984 on the design and implementation issues surrounding a wide range of regulatory, finance, and management reforms. 

The Centre has direct relationships with The ANU Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS), The ANU Asia Pacific School of Economics and Management (APSEM) and the (ANU) Faculty of Law for conducting joint research and teaching programme. It also has direct relationships with Auckland University through Dr Tim Maloney; Melbourne University through Professor John Creedy; and Victoria University through Dr Barker. 

The Centre for Law and Economics has further established research centres, within each of the three specialist areas above.