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The NYT on SCOTUS’s Wetlands Decision

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a fractured decision in consolidated appeals raising the issue of which wetlands come within the ambit of the federal Clean Water Act (“CWA�). The wetlands at issue were next to drainage ditches that, when full of water, would eventually flow into navigable waters. The record did not establish whether ... The NYT on SCOTUS’s Wetlands Decision

Nobel Speculation and Some Very Casual Empiricism

With the Econ Nobel (or for those who feel better using the official label, the “Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel” … ) to be announced on Monday, the time is ripe for speculation. Greg Mankiw, Don Boudreaux, the WSJ, and Tyler Cowen have chimed in on the frontrunners. Cowen ... Nobel Speculation and Some Very Casual Empiricism

Warren on Rationality, Choice, and Regulation in the Credit Card Market

Elizabeth Warren (Credit Slips) points to an interesting empirical study by Agarwal, Liu, Souleses, and Chomsisengphet (“ALSC”) which examines consumer credit card selection in a natural experiment setting in which a card company offers two cards to consumers: (1) a high interest rate, no annual fee card and (2) a low rate card with an ... Warren on Rationality, Choice, and Regulation in the Credit Card Market

Angrist on Levitt, Instrumental Variables, Identification, and Defending Cuteness

It is apparently vogue to ask whether Steve Levitt is ruining economics? The serious question behind all of this is whether today’s economists have become too enamored with cute and clever questions rather than the day’s “big” questions.  I’ve already gone on the record on this one with a comment to a post over at ... Angrist on Levitt, Instrumental Variables, Identification, and Defending Cuteness

Newsflash! AAI supports merger review!

In shocking news, the American Antitrust Institute has come out with a white paper suggesting that the FTC’s challenge of the Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger is warranted (HT: Hanno): The FTC cites to numerous factors and questions that make a highly compelling case for looking closely at whether a Whole Foods/Wild Oats combination will tend substantially to ... Newsflash! AAI supports merger review!

MAE in the Sallie Mae Case

Back in April, private equity fund J.C. Flowers, along with JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America, agreed to acquire Sallie Mae, the largest provider of student loans in the United States. Between then and now, Congress passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA), which reduced in various ways the subsidies ... MAE in the Sallie Mae Case

Section 2 Symposium: Tim Brennan on the Relationship Between Regulation and Antitrust

When I first started working in antitrust at the Justice Department over thirty years ago—there’s a hard reality to accept—the Antitrust Division was then embroiled in an effort to reform the regulation of oil pipelines. The argument on this now obscure issue was that effective prevention of the exercise of market power by natural monopoly ... Section 2 Symposium: Tim Brennan on the Relationship Between Regulation and Antitrust

Free to Choose (and Market) Clone-Free

The FDA has determined that milk and meat from some cloned animals (cattle, swine, and goats) is safe to eat. It has therefore lifted a moratorium on such products. But don’t expect to see milk and meat from cloned animals in your local grocery store. Cloning is incredibly expensive, so cloned animals would almost certainly ... Free to Choose (and Market) Clone-Free

Competition for the Field, Sirius/XM and Shelf Space

Geoff and Paul like the result in XM/ Sirius but are puzzled by the DOJ press release, in particular as it pertains to analyzing ex ante competition, or “competition for the field,” in the form of payments to automobile manufacturers to adopt their services. Geoff thinks the DOJ’s press release contains some funny language appearing ... Competition for the Field, Sirius/XM and Shelf Space

Some Economics Links

James Pethokoukis at US News reports on interviews with chief economic advisers Austan Goolsbee and Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Brian Leiter is pleased to point out a study showing that while both groups are in the top 3, Philosophy majors outperform Economics majors on the LSAT.  Leiter also gets in a playful dig, noting that the study ... Some Economics Links

The Future of Law and Economics Part 3: L&E Scholarship

In previous posts (Part I and Part II) I discussed the increasing trend towards formal mathematics in L&E scholarship and some of the potential issues this raises for the L&E movement as it becomes more detached from the legal academy. This post focuses on another question: What will L&E scholarship in law schools look like ... The Future of Law and Economics Part 3: L&E Scholarship

Teaching Antitrust

I’m two weeks into the semester here at UT, and the antitrust course.  I’ve made a few changes to the course this year.  Specifically, I’m using the new 2nd edition of the Gavil, Kovacic and Baker.  So far so good on that front on adjusting to the new edition.  Its an excellent textbook.  In large ... Teaching Antitrust