Showing results for: “digital markets act”
More Evasion of Pricing Constraints as Antitrust Violations: Vertical Merger Edition
I’ve criticized elsewhere what appears to the the FTC’s new “evasion of pricing constraint” theory of monopolization emerging from Ovation (see also here), N-Data, and Rambus. I expressed some concern that this theory had no limiting principles and was detached in important ways from sound economics: Here are a few examples of conduct the FTC ... More Evasion of Pricing Constraints as Antitrust Violations: Vertical Merger Edition
Zaring on the Panic of 1907
With an antitrust angle to boot: The Panic of 1907, published last year by Robert Bruner and Sean Carr, is a good blow by blow account of the action stations nature of a financial crisis, in this case one that began with a freezing of the credit markets, blew up with an ill-timed effort to ... Zaring on the Panic of 1907
Is it just me, or is Brad DeLong little more than an ideological hack? Krugman, too.
Hey, what a shock: Brad DeLong cites to a cursory and useless critique of the Efficient Market Hypothesis and declares it, with the author, “refuted.” Here’s Brad’s cite; here’s the original “refutation.” The complete list is absurd (there are five purportedly refuted doctrines, including “the case for privatization” and “individual retirement accounts.” Seriously? Yep.). Perhaps ... Is it just me, or is Brad DeLong little more than an ideological hack? Krugman, too.
Seriously, Alpha = 0? Have You Read the Bill?
Not to harp on the same point over and over, but can anybody look at this list from the stimulus package with a straight face and claim that the absence of inefficient government spending (HT: Peter Klein)? $1 billion for Amtrak $2 billion for child-care subsidies $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts ... Seriously, Alpha = 0? Have You Read the Bill?
Stop Brad DeLong!
Few people in my small sphere of the world are taken as seriously as Brad DeLong, while still being as much of an ass as he is. The latest stems from his juvenile criticism of this masterful analysis of the stimulus situation by John Cochrane. Brad’s juvenile criticism is here. The thing is, it sounds ... Stop Brad DeLong!
Is the Stimulus Package Obama’s Patriot Act?
Why are the proponents of the stimulus package so reluctant to have a serious, non ad hominem-laden debate about whether it will, in fact, stimulate the economy? Because that’s not really its point. As Steve Horwitz explains: Bottom line: the more that those of us who are skeptical continue to even refer to this as ... Is the Stimulus Package Obama’s Patriot Act?
Alpha = 0?
Geoff’s post about Kevin Murphy’s recent slides and analytical framework for thinking about the stimulus are worth reading and if you haven’t yet. Here’s a link to the video. Here’s Murphy’s analysis in a nutshell for those who haven’t: A Framework for Thinking about the Stimulus Package Let G = increase in government spending 1-a= ... Alpha = 0?
The Know Betters’ Stimulus Plan
National Economic Council Chairman Larry Summers was on Meet the Press yesterday defending President Obama’s proposed fiscal stimulus plan, which is heavily weighted toward government spending and away from tax cuts (and, to the extent it reduces taxes, does so via tax credits without cutting marginal rates). He started by emphasizing the magnitude of the ... The Know Betters’ Stimulus Plan
Varney Instead of Elhauge at DOJ?
So says Bloomberg. UPDATE: More from DOJ: The White House is expected to nominate Christine Varney, a former Federal Trade Commission member and Internet-law expert, as Justice Department antitrust chief, people briefed on the move said. Jon Leibowitz, a current FTC member, is the leading candidate for commission chairman, but the decision isn’t final, these ... Varney Instead of Elhauge at DOJ?
Bork and the Antitrust Paradox Revisited
The Harvard Journal on Law and Public Policy recently published a symposium on the contributions of Judge Robert Bork. Readers of TOTM might be interested in three essays on Bork’s enduring contributions to antitrust law from Judge Frank Easterbrook, Judge Douglas Ginsburg, and Professor George Priest. The following excerpt from Easterbrook’s essay, I thought, was ... Bork and the Antitrust Paradox Revisited
Likely Monopolization Suit Targets
I’ve written previously about the upcoming surge in monopolization enforcement deriving from a “perfect storm” of sorts, including: (1) an incoming administration dedicated to “reinvigorate antitrust enforcement,” (2) an outgoing administration heavily and publicly criticized for lack of monopolization enforcement, and (3) interjurisdictional competition between the US and EU as the world’s primary antitrust enforcer ... Likely Monopolization Suit Targets
More on Error Costs
Speaking of error cost analysis, this paper from a trio of lawyers in the General Counsel’s Policy Studies’ group at the FTC has a section entitled “Error Costs: The False Positive/ Negative Debate.” A frustration for me in discussing the error cost issue with respect to antitrust policy is that many people do not seem ... More on Error Costs
