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The collection of all scholarly commentary on law, economics, and more

Showing results for:  “digital markets act”

The value of law school

Herwig Schlunk updates his analysis of the investment value of a law degree. Here’s the abstract: There continues to be an active debate on the question of whether or not law school is a good investment. I prefer to think of the question not in terms of “whether,” but in terms of “when.” In this ... The value of law school

The EU and jurisdictional competition for hedge fund regulation

The NYT reports: When he rejected a new European accord on Friday that would bind the continent ever closer, Prime Minister David Cameron seemingly sacrificed Britain’s place in Europe to preserve the pre-eminence of the City, London’s financial district. The question now is whether his stance will someday seem justified, even prescient. Mr. Cameron refused ... The EU and jurisdictional competition for hedge fund regulation

FTC UMC Rulemakings Would Prove Legal Failures

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) competition rulemakings, like spring, are in the air. But do they make policy or legal sense? In two commentaries last summer (see here and here), I argued that FTC competition rulemaking initiatives would not pass cost-benefit muster, on both legal grounds and economic policy grounds. As a legal matter, I stressed ... FTC UMC Rulemakings Would Prove Legal Failures

Keith Hylton on Joshua Wright

When I first heard that Josh had resigned from the FTC, I wondered if the news would cause a stock market sell-off. I checked later that day, and the Dow closed slightly up, plus .39 percent. This suggests several possible explanations. One is that the stock market had already priced in Josh’s departure. Another is ... Keith Hylton on Joshua Wright

FTC UMC Roundup – OT22 Edition

Fireworks came a bit early this year. Between the Supreme Court’s end-of-term decisions and this week’s January 6th Committee hearings, it wasn’t a week with much antitrust news coming out of either the FTC or Congress. But the Supreme Court’s made sure to keep things exciting: the opinion in West Virginia v. EPA case will ... FTC UMC Roundup – OT22 Edition

Decriminalizing agency costs

The WSJ reports on comments by former FBI official David Cardona’s on why there haven’t been more prosecutions of financial executives as a result of the recent financial crisis: “There’s been a realization and a more deliberate targeting by the Department of Justice before we launch criminally on some of these cases” * * * ... Decriminalizing agency costs

Zeke Emanuel on the ACA’s Adverse Selection Problem and Solutions to It

Ezekiel Emanuel, Rahm’s brother and former health care adviser to President Obama, acknowledges in today’s Wall Street Journal that adverse selection may prove to be a “bump in the road” in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  But never you mind.  He’s got solutions.  And, as usual, they all come down to messaging. Emanuel describes ... Zeke Emanuel on the ACA’s Adverse Selection Problem and Solutions to It

Is Pix Really the End of Credit Cards?

In late August, Roberto Campos Neto, the head of Brazil’s central bank, is reported to have said about Pix, the bank’s two-year-old real-time-payments (RTP) system, that it “eliminates the need to have a credit card. I think that credit cards will cease to exist at some point soon.” Wow! Sounds amazing. A new system that ... Is Pix Really the End of Credit Cards?

The Legacy of Joshua Wright

When a presidential appointee leaves office, it is quite common to consider the person’s legacy to their department or agency. We are delighted to participate in this symposium and to reflect on the contributions of our friend, Commissioner Joshua Wright, to the Federal Trade Commission. To be sure, Commissioner Wright’s time at the FTC has ... The Legacy of Joshua Wright

United/Delta

Yet another major airline merger appears to be in the works: United and Delta. This calls for some antitrust analysis. A few months ago, Thom did a thorough job analyzing the antitrust aspects of AirTran’s proposed takeover of Midwest. The key point in Thom’s analysis was that assessment of an airline merger’s economic effects properly ... United/Delta

Another Antitrust Suit Against the NCAA

The NCAA is no stranger to defending antitrust suits. Remember Maurice Clarett? How about the NIT? Tom Farrey of ESPN the Magazine brought my attention to a new and very interesting antitrust suit filed last week in Los Angeles on the theory that the NCAA has illegally conspired to prohibit member colleges from offering athletic ... Another Antitrust Suit Against the NCAA

David Evans Makes the Case Against Revamping Consumer Protection

Economist, co-author, and sometimes TOTM guest David Evans (UCL, University of Chicago School of Law) has an excellent note on “Why Now is Not the Right Time To Revamp Consumer Protection,” based on remarks made at the New York Federal Reserve Board-New York University Conference on Regulating Consumer Financial Products yesterday in New York.  Evans ... David Evans Makes the Case Against Revamping Consumer Protection