Josh Wright is a tour de force. He has broken the mold for a Washington regulator — and created a new one. As a scholar, he carefully crafts his analyses of public policy. As a strategic thinker, he tackles the issues that redound to the greatest social benefit. And as a champion of competitive markets, he forcefully advances rules to encourage innovation and consumer welfare. Nearly as important as his diligence within the regulatory process, he is transparent in his objectives and takes every opportunity to enunciate his principles for action. The public knows what he is doing and why it is important.
As a sample of Commissioner Wright’s dedication to improving regulatory law, I am delighted to suggest the talk he gave April 2, 2015 at Clemson University, hosted by the Information Economy Project. His title: Regulation in High-Tech Markets: Public Choice, Regulatory Capture, and the FTC. He was particularly concerned in describing the harm produced by state and local barriers blocking competitive forces with respect to emerging, disruptive innovations such as Uber and AirBnB, offering remedies available via competition policy. The talk is posted here.